Tokyo's most famous fish market, the Tsukiji market, has closed down after being in business for 83 years.
Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world, will now be turned into a
temporary parking garage for the 2020 Summer Olympics which will be
held in Japan's capital.
On Saturday, Tsukiji held its last auction, with a 162kg tuna being the most expensive fish of the day.
The fish went was sold for 4.3 million yen ($37,818).
"I am very grateful and happy that we could have continued business
smoothly all these years until today. I would like to thank Tsukiji from
the bottom of my heart," chairman of the Seafood Wholesalers'
Association Hiroyasu Itoh was quoted as saying by the Reuters news
agency.
The market drew tens of thousands of visitors every year, enjoying the sights of exotic fruits and fresh fish.
In January, a prized bluefin tuna was sold for a hefty price of more than $320,000.
In recent years, Tsukiji's age began to show, leading to unsanitary
situations and the plan to move to a new location. Tsukiji will provide
temporary parking for the Olympics and eventually become a tourist
centre.
Tsukiji was home to fishmongers for 83 years [Issei Kato/Reuters]
"I am sad to see Tsukiji close but I do look forward to seeing what the
land will be used for after this and how Tokyo will develop going
forward," Takeshi Ohashi, a 44-year-old former Tsukiji worker, told
Reuters.
The new location for the market is Toyosu, a man-made island built for five billion dollars in Tokyo Bay.
The plan to move the fish market originated 17 years ago, but the
discovery of toxic substances in the groundwater and soil in 2016 led to
several delays.
Eventually, the contaminated areas were cleaned using underground wells
and the location was declared safe by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in
July this year, opening the doors to its official inauguration next
Thursday.
https://www.geezgo.com/sps/41953
Join Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
Comments
Post a Comment