Reuters Insider - Tokyo fishmongers mourn and protest closure of famous fish market
03/10/2018 13:39
Click the following link to watch video: https://share.insider.thomsonreuters.com/link?entryId=0_oyy84nhc&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2018:newsml_OV90IHMYZ_930&pageId=ReutersNews Source: Reuters Insider Description: Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market is due to close by the end of the week and the market's workers have mounted a last-ditch effort to save it, saying a new site set up by Tokyo's government is unsafe and too far from the centre of the city. But Tokyo says it's ready and the move is essential. Ed Giles reports. Short Link: https://reut.rs/2O1yEeV Video Transcript: An icon of the Japanese capital is said to be uprooted this week. The Tsukiji fish market has been the beating heart of Tokyo's seafood industry for more than eight decades. And Tai Yamaguchi has managed her family's fish shop for almost as long. She begins everyday before sunrise, selling fresh fish to sushi chefs and restaurants across Japan. But now it's closing time. The city wants to move the market before Tokyo's 2020 Olympics. The new site is miles away from the city center on old industrial land. Tai and others don't want to go. br/ br/ I don't think we should move but the government is strong and doing everything they can to make us. br/ br/ Tokyo says the old market is unhygienic and the move is a necessary upgrade. Some workers including Tai have staged protests. Opponents say they're worried about the new site where two years ago, authorities found cancer-causing chemicals in the ground. After a clean-up, Tokyo called the site safe in July but as Reuters Mari Saito reports, workers have filed a last minute lawsuit to try and halt the move. They're also worried Tokyo is losing part of its legacy. br/ br/ These people are still adamant to stay in Tsukiji because Tsukiji is known around the world and people who have been doing business here for nearly a hundred years are incredibly attached to the history of this market. br/ br/ Tsukiji's fame has also made it a major hotspot for tourists. Many of the vendors think moving to a less central spot could stop the flow of tourist dollars. br/ br/ Just downstairs from here, there are dozens and dozens of people lining up for the many sushi shops that have been catering to the people who work inside the market but now those people are catering to foreign tourists who come here directly from the airport just to get a taste of Tsukiji. br/ br/ A Tokyo judge has been asked to rule on the temporary injunction by the end of the week. If there are no delays, authorities say the move will go ahead and business at the new market site will start on October 11