Yegenaga Travel & Tours Guide

-Market Tsukiji fish are still reluctant to greet the sun as the Tokyo subway started operating. At 5 am and labyrinthine alleys iron horse swing. New one-two people were seen walking through the automated ticket purchasing. The rate of Hibiya Line train quickly passed into a station and stopped briefly at Tsukiji Station. Some parents who had been carrying a shopping bag rather large size went down to leave the train.

Directly felt in the particularities of this station, because the ad pictures on the board is dominated by the image lighted sushi. Walking closer to the surface, strong smell of fish so stimulate fine hairs sense of smell.

And sure enough, at the top of this underground station there was Tsukiji Central Fish Market, or which in Japanese is called the Tsukiji-Shijo.

Young morning at Tsukiji fish market just to be times when the most busy. Fanfare three-wheeled transport vehicles which led to hasty impression time after the rider was speeding on streets that have been packed with parked trucks neat box.

Busyness is evident in this complex market. The fish that have been purchased and packaged in thousands of white boxes that have been previously filled with crushed ice. The boxes were then marked as a bookmark, and then arranged in vans.

Fish market located in the heart of Tokyo was the center of trading activity and an auction of about more than 450 kinds of sea food or “seafood”. Starting from a small sardines to tuna weighing 300 kg, from cheap seaweed-festive until super expensive caviar.

Tsukiji fish market, Tsukiji approximately 787,782 metric tons of sea products traded in one year, or approximately 2888 tons per day. Economic value of this trade reached 748 billion yen, equivalent to Rp56, 1 trillion per year (1993 data).

Japan has two core markets marine products other than Tsukiji, Ohta and Adachi ie. But from the markets, Tsukiji handles 87 percent of the total transactions, so these numbers make Tsukiji Market one of the largest in the world. Tsujiki also supplies food ingredients from the sea for around 20 million inhabitants of Tokyo and surrounding areas.

At the fish market which is supposedly one of the largest in the world, there are at least 60000-65000 workers who earn them – including traders, accountant, auctioneer, employees of companies, and distributors.

Based on history, Tsukiji fish market began to appear a long way since the beginning of the Edo Period, or in the range of the 16th century.

Known as “Uogashi” or the fish market on the riverbank, Tsukiji Market was first built when the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu the first building of Edo – or Tokyo now – invite all fishermen from Tsukudajima (Osaka) and give them special rights to catch fish for later memasoknya to Edo Castle.

-MarketTsukiji fish that fishermen catch and send them to the palace and sell the rest at the Nihonbashi bridge, so was born “Uogashi”, a fish market for the ordinary people on the riverbank.

Then, along with increased demand from buyers who continue to grow along with increasing population, Nihonbashi Uogashi changed and developed into a larger market.

The market is controlled by the traders who got licenses from the government of the Shogun. They buy fish from local ports, and then sell them to traders in the market and they have a huge advantage, so that they can create their own distribution networks.

While vegetable markets are supplied from the edge of the area was established in Edo Kanda, Senju, and Komagome – three vegetable market owned by the Edo.

Like the conditions in the fish market, vegetable market is also highly profitable suppliers and traders. During the Edo Period, the market price is strictly determined by the bargaining transactions between merchants and buyers.

As a result, the public auction was very difficult to occur except in the vegetable markets only.

But in the Meiji and Taisho Era things changed drastically. Privileges removed traders vanished. It happened after the August 1918, riots broke out called “Rice Riots” ( “kome Soudai”) in hundreds of cities across Japan.

Riots protesting food shortages and speculative practices of merchants, so that the Japanese Government is urged to create a new institution in the field of food distribution, especially for those in rural areas.

Tsukiji fish marketTepat-1 September 1923 at around 20 private market, or closed from the public, who was in Tokyo destroyed by the earthquake that Sohor known as “The Great Kanto Earthquake”.

After the earthquake, the city of Tokyo and then built the main markets in accordance with the Act Central Market – which passed in the same year. The result? Since 1935 Tokyo has three core markets of Tsukiji, Kanda and Koto. Markets while the smaller number of more than a dozen, such as Ebara, Toshima, and Adachi operate to support the population needs.

Coveted Travelers

Tsukiji Fish Market is located near Shijo Station on Tsikiji subway line Ōedo Line, and just above the Tsukiji Station Hibiya Line route.

Market complex is divided into two, namely “the market” ( “jonai Shijo”) and “outer market” ( “jogai Shijo”). Markets in the fish auction is held. Here there are about 900 licensed traders, who opened a small kiosk. While the outside market is a combination of traders who sell kitchen tools, restaurant goods, grocery, and sushi restaurants.

The market did not operate until the end of the day, while the outside markets are generally open till evening. Local government statistics say that every day thousands of travelers willing to get up very early and hurried “enjoy” Tsukiji fish market only to find the sensation of activity in this fish market.

Tsukiji is uniquely developed into one of the attractions of interest to travelers from within Japan and abroad.

Tsukiji fish, why not tourists rarely seen blond or black tourists passing by here. They are complete with cameras and maps. Really beautiful sights, like the international fish markets that brings people from Brazil by travelers from Indonesia, and Japanese traders.

Was mentioned as one of the largest food market in the world, Tsukiji is open for tourists and is suitable visited at 5-9 o’clock in the morning.

In the market open every day except Sunday and national holidays, bergeliat activities began at 3 am when the sea started derived from ships, trucks, and aircraft from the waters around the world.

The most impressive attraction is the moment of frozen tuna, tuna moved to later auctioned. The auctioneer, known as “oroshi gyousha” in Japanese, and then estimate the price of tuna and prepared to bid.

While the buyers – who must hold the first license permits before they can participate in the auction – also check the fish to know which fish they are going to bid and buy with a price.

Auctions usually start at 5:20 o’clock in the morning. Only a licensed permit holders who can make a bid price here. They consist of middle-class merchants ( “nakaoroshi gyousha”) who has a shop in the market and agents, restaurants, food companies and retailers.

-Market Tsukiji fish auction ends at 7 am, after which the fish are successfully bargained then put into a truck or sent to another place. There is also a just moved to the three-wheeled motor vehicles to stores around the Tsukiji fish market.

The shop owner would then cut the big fish into smaller sections and prepare it for sale at retail.

Tsukiji Market is also travelers can see the attraction of frozen tuna slices. Very interesting, when the tuna-frozen or fresh tuna, the amount equal to the size of the body 10-year-olds cut with a saw machine.

About the friendliness of traders? No doubt about it, although tourists are just happy to see, hold and take pictures with a variety of fish or octopus, Tsukiji merchants will not be disturbed. In fact, they often would be willing to pose for a good picture for the tourists.

Frozen tuna will usually cut to length with a high mower can about one meter, which in Japanese is known as “Oroshi hocho”, “Maguro-bocho”, or “Hancho hocho”.

A walk in the fish shops in Tsukiji fish market is much different with the atmosphere at Muara Angke Fish Market in Jakarta. Cleanliness and hygiene is maintained in Tsukiji, famous for the Japanese people as a nation very fond of fresh fish.

Tsukiji fish market-eel restaurant chef elite Akasaka area of Tokyo, Shinichiro Otani, said the freshness quality of fish and marine products are sold at Tsukiji is the most important in terms of the quality.

“The Japanese love fresh fish, fresh,” said the man who had visited various fish markets in the Southeast Asian region.

According to him, for matters of fish quality and freshness of the Japanese people are still very “detailed”, so do not be surprised if trading in the atmosphere such as Tsukiji fish market is also kept very clean.

Not only clean and tidy affair, in fish stores neatly arranged in the Tsukiji fish market prices are also displayed graphically.

For example one kilogram of fresh tuna meat dark red, on his instructions are given such a paper that said the price of 4500 yen. Or the shrimp and fish, eels magazine, it was marked as the price that people who can not communicate in Japanese language can still transact.

Schedule at Tsukiji fish market is relatively stable from day to day. Peak hour is around 5:30 to 8 am, activities begin to decrease after 8 o’clock. Then the shops close at around 11 noon, and the market cleared at 1 pm.

Tsukiji fish market, Tsukiji fish market direct guarded by officers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. They supervise the activities that took place in this market to remain in accordance with the Law Food Hygiene.

After satisfied stroll in the market, activity not to be missed when visiting the Tsukiji fish market is a sushi breakfast at the restaurant.

Various sushi restaurant in the outside market will be presenting a typical Japanese dish that is very indulgent culinary travelers desire. At each entrance to the restaurant posted a picture and price of each snack.

There is a restaurant that was so attractive to visitors Tsukiji fish market, people even have to wait their turn to eat there. It’s right opposite the gift shop.

The price is relatively expensive sushi in the restaurant, in the range of 2000 yen or Rp150.000. But nearby there are also sushi restaurant that offers a valuable presentation is cheaper, only worth 840 yen or Rp63.000 for one package contains 15 pieces of sushi fish, plus rice and spicy wasabi sting nan, also equipped with a bowl of shrimp soup.

Tsukiji-fish sushi marketwith such prices can not be found in Jakarta. Very cheap and filling, especially for just a meal for breakfast.

Tsukiji activities peek truly unique. Besides making himself always remember that the fish and tasty tuna were the result of Indonesia’s marine wealth, which is the irony very rarely enjoyed by the Indonesian people in their own country.

The Japanese have a supply of highly nutritious snacks and healthy from the sea is so rich Indonesia. While fish markets in Indonesia closely with the product “second class”, not to mention the quality of cleanliness that are far from clean and comfortable impression.