Tsukiji Market, Tokyo 2005
Up early to be amongst the fishermen at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. I was trying not to look obvious as I moved between the tuna, prospective buyers and auctioneers, though I fear I was doing a bad job.
At Tsukiji, I was interested in the motion of the market and tried to be respectful as I could as I was in their place of work. But there was no denying, I was definitely out of place. Regrettably I wasn’t able to go any deeper into the story or beyond the images I could take on that morning. I was probably just one of hundreds of people who would pass through the market on that day, and while I’d like to think that most would try and be respectful, I’m not naive either. I’m thankful that none of the fishermen put a hook in me that day and hauled me out. Tourism at Tsukiji has definitely had an impact on the environment of a working market. I think what tourism brings clashes with a culture built on politeness and respect, and unchecked it probably just gets in the way of people trying to make a living. Of course there’s a constant conversation to be had around the challenges of managing the ocean environment and how it’s economically sustainable for the fishermen who work the market, and that’s something I would like to explore in the future.
I do want to go back to Tsukiji, I love Tokyo and it’s people, and I’d love to see the market again at it’s new location, but next time I’d like to do a ‘from hook to plate’ story that goes a level deeper than the brief time I had here.
Photography
© Bruce Mitchell
