Oh dang, I didn't realize it was happening this soon. I'm visiting Japan next week and I thought I would have at least a few more days to visit old Tsukiji again.
It might not be worth doing: they now restrict tourists from entering until 11am, at which time most of the sellers have already finished selling, cleaned up and gone home.
(The eart morning Tuna auction may be a different story however)
However, taking a tour of the outer (non-wholesale) market is worth doing.
I visited Tsukiji just a few years ago and it was extremely overrated. Just messy, busy, and the sushi you could eat there was no better than what you could get in nice sushi restaurants. Japanese themselves dont understand why foreigners go there.
> In 1937, the area of Toyosu was created on reclaimed land.
> Toyosu was chosen in 2001 by former Governor of Tokyo Shintarō Ishihara for relocating Tsukiji fish market, but there was a longstanding controversy over this plan due to the toxic contamination of the chosen relocation area. The move to Toyosu Market was planned to have taken place in November 2016, in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Part of the plan was to retain a retail market, roughly a quarter of the current operation, in Tsukiji.
> On 31 August 2016, the Tsukiji fish market move was indefinitely postponed. The Tsukiji fish market was caught in a controversy with the shop owners surrounding the former fish market rioting as they would lose their job if the fish market transfers its location.
> Opening of the fish market was subsequently rescheduled for 11 October 2018 despite concerns about pollution.
it seems really dumb to me that they are destroying a cultural landmark just for Olympics that no one will remember or care about a few years after the fact
It's likely the area could also be used for new housing projects after the event. I do agree that it seems ridiculous to move the cultural landmark as it also displaces local restaurants and businesses.
I read it'd be a bus hub for the Olympics, but I would bet money that it too will be razed right after the games to accommodate the more prevalent need of housing or business development.
There have been calls to move the fish market out of Tsukiji[1] for close to a decade at least. Advocates for the move have concerns about the aging facility and desire to re-purpose high-value real-estate.
The olympics are just the impetus that finally pushed it through. I agree about the market being an iconic facility and I have good memories there myself. Hopefully the new one will be similarly accessible to tourists and an upgrade for wholesalers.
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[ 4.0 ms ] story [ 37.4 ms ] thread(The eart morning Tuna auction may be a different story however)
However, taking a tour of the outer (non-wholesale) market is worth doing.
Source: I visited in July
Reminds me of when Hong Kong's crazy dangerous Kai Tak airport closed and in one night they drove everything to the new airport https://www.checkerboardhill.com/2016/12/closure-of-kai-tak-...
> In 1937, the area of Toyosu was created on reclaimed land.
> Toyosu was chosen in 2001 by former Governor of Tokyo Shintarō Ishihara for relocating Tsukiji fish market, but there was a longstanding controversy over this plan due to the toxic contamination of the chosen relocation area. The move to Toyosu Market was planned to have taken place in November 2016, in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Part of the plan was to retain a retail market, roughly a quarter of the current operation, in Tsukiji.
> On 31 August 2016, the Tsukiji fish market move was indefinitely postponed. The Tsukiji fish market was caught in a controversy with the shop owners surrounding the former fish market rioting as they would lose their job if the fish market transfers its location.
> Opening of the fish market was subsequently rescheduled for 11 October 2018 despite concerns about pollution.
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/1982-newsround-bi...
There have been calls to move the fish market out of Tsukiji[1] for close to a decade at least. Advocates for the move have concerns about the aging facility and desire to re-purpose high-value real-estate.
The olympics are just the impetus that finally pushed it through. I agree about the market being an iconic facility and I have good memories there myself. Hopefully the new one will be similarly accessible to tourists and an upgrade for wholesalers.
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20121018042745/https://www.japan...