It’s a fishy business, so stay away, tourists told in Japan
OPERATORS of the world’s biggest fish market, which is also one
of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions, have moved to ban
sightseers from the multimillion-dollar morning sales.
From April 1 the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which operates
the enormous Tsukiji market at Tokyo, will tell the hordes of
mostly foreign visitors to stay away.
But the head of the wholesale market, Hideji Otsuki, conceded
the Government did not have the security staff to restrain
uninvited guests from entering the premises, where 2000 tonnes of
seafood are traded for 1.79 billion yen ($A18 million) each day.
Instead they would be made to sign an application form that
stipulates how to behave and bans them from using flash
photography, smoking except at restricted areas, and bringing
babies, baby strollers, baggage and other items.
They must also agree to accept liability for any accidents they
cause or injuries they receive.
“They need to know that this is a wholesale market and is not
for sightseeing,” Mr Otsuki said. “If they arrive for sightseeing,
we’ll ask them not to come in.”
Anyone who broke the rules may be removed by security guards, he
said.
The market became popular with foreigners in the early 1990s.
Now visitors start arriving at 4.30am to take pictures as retailers
bid on bluefin tuna weighing up to 300 kilograms.
By mid-morning several hundred are wandering through the
premises. Many stay to enjoy fresh sushi and sashimi for breakfast
at tiny restaurants originally built for the 60,000-odd
workers.
Wholesalers complain that some visitors pick up sea creatures or
interfere in auctions and that others cause accidents with the
motorised carts that hurtle along narrow laneways between stalls. A
few who come after all-night drinking sessions behave worse.
At least one Tsukiji restaurant has been known to place a
“Japanese only” sign in its window, prompting accusations of
racism.
But Mr Otsuki said the reasons for the new policy were more
straightforward: “The wholesalers are dealing with perishable food,
so they’re concerned about hygiene.
“Safety’s another problem. The market was built 70 years ago, so
it’s way too small for the commodity distribution going on today.
You’ve got trucks and delivery vehicles racing in and out of narrow
aisles all the time. It’s dangerous if people are just hanging
around.”
Flashes from cameras also interfere with the frenetic auctions,
where rapid-fire hand signals are crucial to determining the
outcome.
Although the policy was adopted unanimously by merchants,
restaurant owners and government officials, it has caused disquiet
among some stall-holders, such as 73-year-old Yoshihara Kikuraku,
who maintain that foreigners will always be welcome.
“They’re such a huge part of the business here that it would
hurt us if many of them stopped coming,” said Mr Kikuraku, who has
been working at the market since he was 15.
Tour operator Kunihiko Ushiyama, owner of Tokyo City Tour, was
sceptical about the Government’s ability to keep tourists out.
“Foreigners pour a lot of money into that place,” he said. “Sure,
some people cause problems and there needs to be regulation, but I
doubt this will have a big impact on the numbers.”
Raymond Fang and Tasnima Islam, 23-year-old law students from
Sydney, said it was worth waking at 4.30am to visit the markets
before sunrise on Thursday.
“One of the sellers got angry at us when we picked up the fish
%26#151; it’s like they’re worried about sanitation %26#151; but then
another was encouraging us to pose for a picture with the seafood,”
Ms Islam said.
Operators hope there will be better visitor access at the Toyosu
district site earmarked as an alternative for the current market
location in 2012.
