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Where's It At
Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is the world's biggest fish
market. It handles over 400 different types of seafood, imports
from 60 countries, moves five million pounds of seafood (seven
times more than the world's second biggest fish market in
Paris), sells $35 million worth of fish per day, employs 60,000
people and uses 32,000 vehicles. The market is open all night
long and every night the vendors shift some five million pounds
of seafood. Every imaginable type of fish and crustacean is
here including giant crab, scallop, eel, squid, octopus,
prawn, and salmon. Creatures are
shipped here in a hurry from more than 60 different countries.
With this amount of fish, you'd think Tsukiji would be a
pretty stinky experience, but the produce is so fresh (in
some cases it's still swimming) that there's barely a whiff
of the ocean. The market is renowned for its rigorous cleanliness.
It was established as Tokyo's main wholesale market after
the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 destroyed most of the city's
food markets.
Tuna Auction
It's also renowned for selling the biggest and best tuna
in the world. Up to 500 massive tuna carcasses, some as big
as cows, are laid out on the floor with their tails cut off
so potential buyers can examine the flesh. Each one displays
the date and place of its capture - there are tuna fish from
places as far a field as South Africa, Spain, and Sri Lanka.
Tuna take 10 years to grow to their full size and for this
reason environmentalists have raised concern at the lucrative
tuna trade in Japan where it is one of the most popular ingredients
in sushi. Premium tuna sold at the fascinating daily auction
costs between $6,500 to $11,000.
The tuna auction begins at 5:30 am sharp and is a spectacle
to behold. The bidders have a complex system of sign language
which they use to communicate the price they're willing to
pay over the auctioneer's shouting and hollering. The quality
of the tuna is dictated by how fatty it is and the color of
the meat.
Other Things to See
and Do
The market has its own 350-year-old Shinto shrine with a
chief priest to say prayers for the souls of fish. It also
conducts classes in auction protocol, knife handling, and
cooking classes for its employees. The market is also home
to the world's oldest and best sushi restaurant, Yamato.
This is a fantastic place to breakfast on the fruits of the
chef's shopping expedition the night before. It's not surprising
that this market is so vast and complex when you consider
that the Japanese consume seventeen percent of the world's
fish catch.
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