Tsukiji Wonderland

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Theodore C. Bestor Social Cultural

Anthropologist Harvard University Professor

Besides all the fish

Tsukiji is an information

gathering source.

A walk through the market

lets you know that the season changed.

Japanese food

is very seasonal

and the changing of the seasons is

first seen here.

It's not that

Tsukiji's the best in the world.

There's nothing in its league.

It's the only one.

Nothing in the world compares to it.

I bet you!

The Japanese have tremendous respect

for seafood.

Tsukiji is based on an appreciation

of fresh seafood.

- Where are they migrating to?

- Sado.

Already?

I won't recommend these to you.

I stopped selling the milt today.

It's available but

the quality's not good.

- You have sardines?

- Yes, they're getting better.

But they're still spongy on the back.

Our intermediate wholesalers know fish.

No other place has so many experts.

I'm convinced about that.

The intermediate wholesalers

are knowledgeable.

They know how to grade fish.

They auction and resell the seafood

to the retailers

in a prompt and effective manner.

There are professional fishermen,

the professionals who deliver

and those who evaluate the fish.

And the chefs are at the end

of the line.

Wholesalers choose the fish

best suited to the needs

of each retailer or restaurant.

So we get to eat good fish.

The wholesalers' choices

are based on knowledge

they've accumulated.

They take pride in their work.

Your last fish was great.

I'd do anything to get one for you,

if I saw another one like that.

The wholesalers are very proud

to be a part of

the market's long tradition.

It's not just about how much

they make out of a deal.

The priority for most of them

is to provide quality fish.

They aren't focusing on making

big profits.

That isn't a source of pride

for them.

I usually show up at I AM. A little

earlier before the long weekend.

I usually show up at I AM. A little

earlier before the long weekend.

Good morning.

You have 700 boxes?

Great. How's the quality?

We get orders a night before.

Now, I am sorting the customers'

orders for fish.

20 grilled eel to L.A.

I have an order from Los Angeles.

It's 8:
30 AM in L.A.

I don't call them too early but

they call me up any time of the day.

What can I do?

Some wholesalers come earlier,

like IO PM-.

It's early but everything depends

on how much I get done now.

What we do is simple.

It's the same every day.

Daisuke Yamazaki

Intermediate Wholesaler

I process fish as soon as I arrive.

So I want the customers to come and

get it while it's still fresh.

I always come at 2:30 AM.

We process our orders the night before.

I check the orders and

figure out how to deal with them.

There's 300 jack mackerels

but the order's for 250-.

- Pack 250 of them and put the rest aside.

- I'll remove them.

Looking good.

Every fish has a different value.

The wholesalers evaluate

and sort the fish.

We auction the fish and sort it

according to the clients' needs.

That's our responsibility.

Intermediate wholesalers liaise

for the clients.

Toichiro lida

Intermediate Wholesaler

Fishermen risk their lives

to catch good fish.

But not everyone appreciates

that quality.

So we have to find suitable customers

who understand the fishes' value.

This is not a local market.

So all sorts of fish come

here from all over Japan.

We are here to pick the right

fish for my clients-.

We have a collective approach

to our service.

We have a collective approach

to our service.

When you walk down the aisles

you see wholesalers standing

at their tables.

And the intermediate wholesalers

walk around asking about fish prices.

After a short interaction

the wholesaler puts a sold tag

on the fish.

That's good!

Don't you have a box of 30?

Oops...

It's not about being able to tell

good fish from bad.

It's about fulfilling

the customers' needs.

The quality and prices

of fish change daily.

That's where a good wholesaler

makes the right choices.

The best seafood in the world

comes to Tsukiji-.

Mamoru Sakai

Intermediate Wholesaler

Which allows us to provide fish

steadily to our customers.

Which allows us to provide fish

steadily to our customers.

Each lot is individually numbered.

We wholesalers can spot

a good fish.

It's different every year.

Tsushima fish is good now

but next year it could change.

It changes every day.

I only know conger eels.

I wouldn't last a day

Auction table A"

I check the flavor first.

The color, size, dryness...

I use all my senses to evaluate it.

I use all my senses to evaluate it.

The market deals with

20,000 boxes a day.

Sea urchins come from across Japan

and the world.

Up north from Russia

and Hokkaido.

Peru and Argentina.

A lot from Chile.

From both coasts of America.

Sea urchins"

Naturally we're totally focused

at auctions.

You can't just stand and watch

if you want good products to sell.

You evaluate the products closely.

And you seize the opportunity!

I love this work.

I'm 100% committed to Tsukiji.

It's fun.

The first time I bid I was 22.

I still get nervous just

before the auction.

When I'm depending on a bid

and there's only one

my knees shake.

There's none coming tomorrow.

Really?

I'll buy it.

They have quite a few cases today.

The price will go down.

We're rivals.

So we deceive each other.

I'll say something

negative about fish I want.

I pretend fish aren't selling

when they are.

The others do the same

so it all works out.

It's good.

I'll take it.

We all play games.

We trick each other

because we're desperate.

Everyone has memo

pads with jottings in them.

It's shorthand notes. I know

which ones are good.

If you want something, you can't be

stingy about 2,000 yen.

It's competitive.

It's like a sumo ring.

All sellers say their product is the best.

Toshiaki lshizuka

Intermediate Wholesaler

So you put them in the ring to test it-

That's the market-.

I'm nothing but grateful.

Good fish earns more money

which is an incentive.

So fishermen try their luck with us.

Hiroyuki Hirai

Intermediate Wholesaler

I'm grateful for their faith in us.

That's what Tsukiji is about.

I love prawns so I only want to sell

them to people I like-.

I love prawns so I only want to sell

them to people I like-.

Katsumi Morita

Intermediate Wholesaler

They're bigger today and wild.

It's not really a work to me.

I guess I'm a fool.

Forget profit.

- It's not about money?

- No.

Akihiro Oyama

Intermediate Wholesaler

In good and bad times we interact

with one another.

We communicate in person, not

over computers or telephones.

Which is good.

Theodore C. Bestor Social Cultural

Anthropologist Harvard University Professor

We got some lots from Hachinohe.

Go ahead and take a look.

Wow, so firm.

And cheap!

- It's a good deal!

- I hear you!

They are good.

40 cases for you, thanks.

They're from Aomori.

They're good.

This one goes to Los Angeles!

Nakaoroshi = intermediate wholesalers

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