Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market off limits from today...

[oftheherd]

Arrrhhhh! You are making me want to visit the Washington, DC fish market.

Actually, the local oriental supermarkets have better fish markets, and probably cheaper, if a little less colorful and photogenic.

The DC fish market is quite small. Perhaps a hundred square feet or so. I'm not sure they have a sit down place to eat. All three of the large Northern VA supermarkets have at least one restaurant, just not associated with the fish market area. It can be a delight to eat sashimi or a good seafood soup.

 

[urban_alchemist]

Shame. Although they've been getting more and more draconian for a while. This year I had to play the 'bakka gaijin' to get in - first time I've had to do that.

Amazing place... not least the sushi+sake breakfast at Sushi-Dai afterwards... 🙂

From April - all Leica MP, Noctilux, Fuji Pro800Z:

 

[nikon_sam]

For the price of some of them fish, I could send my kids to the college of their choice...

Nice photos, too bad a few ruin it for the rest of us respectful folks...

 

[Freakscene]

>FYI, my understanding is that they're moving the market to a more suburban location, anyway.

The proposed new location for the fish market is on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay where the local government can completely control entry.

My photos of the outer market are here:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/freakscene/Tsukiji/

Marty

 

[raid]

Actually, I remember I had to squeeze out few lemons after that photo raid.
😛

sniki

sniki,

I sense humor in the making ... 😀
When people smoke, they often state so when selling an item.
I just thought that fish smell may linger.

 

[NickTrop]

Gotta tellya nothing represents the zenith of the photographic art or makes a better photographic subject than a picture of a dead fish, especially one that's been hacked to pieces or is in the process thereof... It's why cameras were invented, I think. Viva the fish head!
|

 

[maddoc]

The news said (according to my wife), that tourists (foreigner and Japanese) are not allowed to visit until middle of next month (January, 2009).

 

[Goldorak]

This is too easy to be true. Like a few hooligans would close down all the biggest sports stadium around the world? There is a real underlying story, probably political and social. The tourists did what tourists do, and it's understandable. I don't buy it.

 

[jonmanjiro]

In the news:

A sign at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market bars visitors.

Tourists to be barred from Tsukiji tuna auctions for a month

 

[steamer]

Here is some of the reason why:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/kpW9Wfw2TQRGWZSvhn

 

[craygc]

Glad I finally made myself go last year... Tsukiji

Leica M2 and Neopan 1600 @ 1600

 

[jonmanjiro]

Here is some of the reason why:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/kpW9Wfw2TQRGWZSvhn

Thanks for posting this, Steamer. I'd heard about this clip but hadn't seen it. With idiots like that running amok at Tsukiji its no wonder they decided to bar tourists.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Where are the whales...?

Japan has several "designated" locations where the processing of whale meat is permitted (I heard there's two ports - but there may be several more), so the guys at the these ports pretty much have a monopoly on the market, so I suspect that little or no whale meat makes it to Tsukiji.

One of the designated locations is Wadaura Port in Chiba. The port there has a slipway where they drag the whale up out of the water and process it (i.e. cut it up) in the open. I tried whale "bacon" at a small restaurant near the slipway. It tasted pretty average.

 

[JRG]

Apparently, the market is about to drop the ban that started this thread:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/7822753.stm

 

[Ken Ford]

Gotta tellya nothing represents the zenith of the photographic art or makes a better photographic subject than a picture of a dead fish, especially one that's been hacked to pieces or is in the process thereof... It's why cameras were invented, I think. Viva the fish head!
|

Fish are no better or worse of a subject than anything else... what's your point?

 

[visiondr]

Gotta tellya nothing represents the zenith of the photographic art or makes a better photographic subject than a picture of a dead fish, especially one that's been hacked to pieces or is in the process thereof... It's why cameras were invented, I think. Viva the fish head!
|

Genius!
LOL!!!

 

[NickTrop]

Fish are no better or worse of a subject than anything else... what's your point?

Kidding, kidding... relax 😀

 

[NickTrop]

Look - I think the Japanese are overreacting personally. Okay - so a couple tourists had too much O Sake and got out of hand. They're just fish - 'kay? Dead at that. They're not "honorable", they're a pile of smelly dead fish... Relax, Japan! Nothing to get insulted about, seen worse behavior on any given Sunday at a football stadium. Lighten up. Riding those carts around looks like fun! Kissing a dead fish makes a funny picture to send back to you friends! No harm, no foul... Hell - make the guy buy the bonita... Don't close the market! Where's you sense of humor?

 

[Pherdinand]

They've banned magic mushrooms in the Netherlands last year, because of the too many damn tourists thinking they can fly.
Similar story.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

It's open again now.

BBC News