lights : camera : action : life: 2018

A large tuna is cut into sections with a special
"maguro kichi bocho," a samurai sword sized knife.
(The original color of the raw tuna was photoshopped back into the photo.)

It's a sad day for fish lovers and instagrammers. The Tokyo Central Wholesale Market in Tsukiji, more commonly known as the Tsukiji Fish Market, or just Tsukiji Market, is now closed. On Saturday, October 6, 2018, the world's largest fish and seafood market officially ended it's stay on 57 acres of land in the Chuo Ward of Tokyo. The market is being relocated to Toyosu, 2 kilometers to the south in nearby Koto Ward.

Tsukiji Fish Market is a hub of activity at 7:15 in the morning.

I was lucky enough to have visited this behemoth of a market four different times in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016. Back in 2006, it was a sight to see and a photographer's wet dream. There were no restrictions on where you could go.

I stood next to the auctioneer while he barked out numbers from his short wooden pedestal and jotted notes on his notepad. I stood behind the buyers as they raised their hands to place bids on the prized tuna. I followed buyers carting tuna to the cutting room. I roamed the aisles freely, taking photos of whatever sea creature caught my eye. I stood next to the traffic guard while turret trucks, motor bikes, and cargo trucks drove by within inches of my lens. Perhaps, it is people like me which caused the government to ban tourists from the famed market several times for disruptive behavior between 2008 and 2010.

Frozen tuna purchased at the auction is carried on a wooden handcart.

A queue of frozen tuna waiting to be cut.

A frozen tuna is cut in half on a band saw.

I imagine some people got injured. The floors were slippery. While the professionals all wore rubber soled boots that didn't slip, tourists like me wore tennis shoes, or worse, high heels. Luckily I never hit the pavement, nor did I wear high heels (in case you were wondering) but on numerous occasions I almost bit the dust. There were also hundreds of turret trucks zipping around the market and through the aisles, transporting a bevy of seafood items, honking their horns as they whizzed by unsuspecting tourists.

A turret truck transporting frozen tuna.

Not counting the tuna auction, the highlight was always stopping at the outer market area and eating some of the freshest sushi and sashimi you can imagine. Some of these places are holes-in-the-wall that seat only 10 people, yet the line outside snakes around the building and people have been known to wait 3 hours or more. So yes, I did. Normally, I wouldn't, but my friend insisted this place was worth it. Being the foodie that she is, I trusted her. She was right. Sushi Dai was to-die-for. It better have been since she practically dragged me out of my hotel before the sun had risen.

At 8:50 in the morning, many food stalls near the Tsukiji Fish Market, are busy
serving up bowls of noodles, rice, and of course, sushi.

I'm sad that I won't be able to take any of my friends here again, but I'm grateful for the memories. The last people I took there were my uncle, my cousin and her husband. It was one of the highlights of our trip in 2016. We dined on some delicious sushi and sashimi - maguro, hamachi, ebi, i can't remember them all, but I do remember the smiles on our faces. The rest of the family missed out. Now, they'll just have to live vicariously through us.

Unfortunately, the new fish market in Toyosu will not have nearly the same charm as Tsukiji. There is too much history and nostalgia associated with Tsukiji that Toyosu will never live up to the bar that Tsukiji has set, at least not for me. Perhaps the next generation will create their own memories in Toyosu, but I can see myself being that old guy sitting at the table saying, "I remember when I held my camera above the auctioneer's head to take a 'hail mary' shot of the auction."

A tuna auction in progress.

It will be interesting to see whether or not it will be a popular tourist stop and whether or not the shops and restaurants around Tsukiji Fish Market will stick around. Some have already decided not to relocate and have closed for good.