Can The Tsukiji Outer Market Survive?

Above, a couple of jolly Tsukiji outer market restaurantateurs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I visited the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in December 2010, I also visited the restaurant and shop area (known as the outer market) adjacent to the fish market. While there, I enjoyed an early-morning sushi meal of different varieties of tuna besides doing some window-shopping.

Above, rows of Tsukiji outer market fish vendors. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was later announced that the Tsukiji Fish Market will be relocating to Toyosu (about 2.3 kilometers away). This is now planned to take place during the 2015 fiscal year.

After this announcement, I wondered if the businesses in the outer market will also be moving or will they be left stranded without the nearby fish market as their anchor.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) has an article on the outer market. They begin with:

With the relocation of the Tsukiji wholesale market in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, looming several years hence, the adjacent Tsukiji Outer Market, home to many sushi restaurants and food shops, is making strenuous efforts to ensure its survival. 

The Tsukiji market has about 80 years of history as a publicly run wholesale market that moved from Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district to its current location in the wake of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. The Tsukiji market, known as “jonai shijo,” or the inner market, has become a world-class fish market. Whereas in “jogai shijo,” or the Tsukiji Outer Market, a variety of shops ranging from those selling food items to cooking tools are open to the public. The two markets have been prosperous throughout the years, together as one. 

How will the outer market foster its own unique brand after the Tsukiji market relocates to the Toyosu district of Koto Ward?

Above, a dishes and cookware shop at the Tsukiji outer market. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read the full article, go here.