Toyosu market struggling to attract tuna auction viewers

February 21, 2019

Tokyo--The Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo's Koto Ward has been struggling to attract visitors to watch tuna auctions although a designated area was opened about a month ago.

The now-defunct Tsukiji market had been flooded with viewers of tuna auctions, a hugely popular event for visitors from both at home and abroad.

But their popularity has remained slow at Toyosu, partly due to a change in the method to solicit viewers, causing a headache for officials in charge at the Tokyo metropolitan government, the operator of the market.

The Toyosu market opened in October last year to take over the Tsukiji market in Chuo Ward in the Japanese capital.

At the Tsukiji market, visitors were allowed to view tuna auctions in order of arrival, without needing to make prior applications or reservations. Therefore, visitors, including foreigners, lined up for hours until the start of tuna auctions.

The designated area at Toyosu, located adjacent to the auction site at the market, was opened on Jan. 15, with people hoping to watch tuna auctions there required to make prior applications on the Internet or by telephone.

If the number of people making applications tops the maximum acceptable number of viewers, set at 120 a day, successful applicants are decided by lot.

The number of applicants, however, has been far below the limit, apparently because applications must be made half a month prior to a visit and many people are unaware of the system. Some of the successful applicants do not show up for on the scheduled day for the auction viewing.

Up to five people can apply as a group, but the names of all visitors must be reported. This requirement is also believed to be helping drag down the number of applicants, observers said.

In fact, the number of foreigners viewing tuna auctions at the designated area in groups has been small.

At Toyosu, the tuna auction site can be viewed without any prior application from a passage on the second floor of the market's fishery wholesale building. But it is impossible for visitors to hear the vibrant sounds of auctions from the space.

At the designated area, by contrast, visitors can hear the ring of a bell to start the auction and the lively voices of sellers and buyers. "Visitors can feel the vibrant atmosphere of auctions, which is not possible from the second-floor passage," a metropolitan government official said.

As part of measures to promote tuna auction viewing by foreign visitors at the designated area, the metropolitan government added information to the English page of a related website.

"We hope many people, including foreigners and families, will visit the Toyosu market" as the spring holiday season is set to start, the official said. Jiji Press