The Tsukiji market (Tokyo) held its final start of the year holiday auction ritual. The curtains close down after the 80 years the market has been in existence. It is located between the Sumida River and up market Ginza shopping district. The fish market is set for relocation in the far south in Tokyo Bay. The market was built in 1935 and marks the end of a post-war era site. The market was well-known for its major seafood products, including dried squid, seaweed, tiny sardines, whale bacon, and caviar, among others.
The auction is characteristic of Japan — a depiction of new beginnings at the start of every year as it proceeds to visualize the events as expected for the rest of the year. Some of the residents did participate. For example, sushi restaurateur Kiyoshi Kimura has participated in most of the auctions and this year made a bid on a 200-Kiloramme tuna.
The bidding wars have been escalating over the years, and in 2013, the bidding took to a record 154.4 million Yen($1.3 Million) for a 222-kilogram fish. On Tuesday, a large tuna was sold for about 14 million Japanese yen ($118,000). The pricing in 2013 had attracted huge complaints, which led to the lower bidding prices in the year 2014. In the year 2015, a 180.4 Kilogram tuna that was caught off Japan’s northern region of Aomori got a winning bid of 4.51 million Yen ($37,480).
Due to overfishing, the marine supply has drastically dropped within the Blue fin tuna stock that is mostly caught in the Pacific, Southern, and Atlantic. This is a type of fish that the Japanese majorly partake as part of their day to day provisions.
The Tsukiji auctions have become a mere tourist attraction, even though they are limited to around 120 people per day. Hopeful viewers have to apply at Osakana Fukyu Centre, which is also known as the Information Centre. The lucky ones view the auction from a designated area in the market.
Construction on the “outer market” has already began. Tokyo city plans indicate that the market site will be transformed into an open waterfront park with passenger terminals that will allow tourist ferries to tour the bay and the river, as well as a shopping plaza. Some of the placards that had been hung out by the contractors on the new building read, “We are contributing with all our efforts to the revitalization of our historic Tsukiji.”
This move has been planned for over 20 years, and due to certain circumstances, has been delayed. The various challenges that have been encountered include toxins found in the soil at the new location. This had been affiliated to the coal gasification plant headed by Tokyo Gas. The city confirmed in 2001 that it would be ready to move the market by 2012, but Tokyo Gas had confirmed otherwise when they discovered more toxins in the soil. These health concerns were accompanied by the discovery of unsafe lead, arsenic, hexavalent chromium, and other toxins, indicating the need to replace six feet of topsoil, construct retaining walls, and pump out the polluted groundwater and pump fresh water back in.
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