June 18, 2017

Tsukiji Top Picks Sushi

The day begins at dawn, a chef awakens at to a quick tea, each and every day Monday through to Friday to sushi chefs get ready for their own journey to the Tsukiji. As it stands the journey is still not a big deal but once the fish market moves it will become a longer bike ride.

Tsukiji sits on some of the most valuable real estate in Tokyo and the fish market will be moved permanently to reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay. The 2020 Olympics are nearing as the city is preparing, and the Tsujiki to move before then. This doesn’t change much as chefs will adjust to the changes without a blink, if the opening isn’t more delayed by environmental issues.

Tokyo’s governor Koike san put the relocation plan for the wholesale food market on hold after being told that the pollution control measures promised to the public over a decade ago had been skipped and that the former gas plant site was spread with carcinogens. Illegal amounts of toxic chemicals crop up regularly in environmental tests, including benzene concentrations up to 100 times the safety limit in March and April.

But not much will change for a sushi maker, as the life of a sushi maker isn’t different from one day to the next. The weather is often winter cold, and or summer warm when they see their first glimpse of dawn. The day begins by riding a scooter in the darkness of the empty Tokyo streets. Weather conditions in the winter make it a hand chilling ride as the cold mornings and black roads add little light.  It is customary for chef’s to go daily, greet their suppliers to maintain relationships. But some chefs use take taxi and believe it or not have never seen a motorbike.
But life for sushi chef’s is just part of the man made fish chain, and for those fish vendors who start in the middle of the night facing their own challenges to facilitate quality. Hence the new market move for the worlds largest fish market influences some significant financial challenge.
Tsukiji vendors have to cover the rising costs of constructing new stores, and the budget of the new market is rising over €5 billion. Of course some of this will likely be subsidized by the sale of the old site but no doubt the new market in Toyosu will be more expensive. At least 100 of the current fish sellers have decided to shut shop rather than move.
More importantly Tsukiji faces some serious environmental issues, as the proposal calls for improving the water control system, temperature control and continuously monitoring harmful substances in groundwater at 46 spots at the site, where a gas plant once stood.

Yuriko Koike Tokyo’s governor has decided to relocate the famous Tsukiji fish market to the Toyosu waterfront district after additional safety measures are taken to ease pollution concerns. They will proceed to protect the basements at Toyosu’s main fish market facilities by special sheets and concrete, and that ventilation fans be installed to prevent toxic substances in the soil from contaminating the buildings and air.

The chef’s way of life stays the same and the government will try to take those measures required but we will need to wait and see. This of course doesn’t stop the millions of sushi fans travelling to Japan, or for the locals from consuming and rating the best sushi in Japan.

Top Sushi Japan: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/rstLst/sushi/?SrtT=rt&Srt=D&sort_mode=1

 

Categories: Sushi Styles, Video

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