Wholesalers Concerned over Poor Access to Toyosu Market

October 11, 2018

Tokyo- Food wholesalers and buyers expressed concerns about poor access to the new Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo ahead of its opening Thursday.

The market in the Japanese capital's Koto Ward succeeds the iconic 83-year-old Tsukiji market in Chuo Ward, which closed Saturday.

But the highway set to be the logistics backbone has yet to open, and access by public transportation is inconvenient. Complaints are expected to arise over congested roads and inconvenient public transportation.

The biggest problem is a delay in the launch of Ring Road No. 2, which will link Toyosu with Tokyo's central and waterfront areas, beyond the much-anticipated opening of the market.

Predicting severe traffic jams near the market right after the opening, an intermediate wholesaler said that the firm's goods deliveries may be delayed significantly, depending on the client location.

"Some people may quickly give up" on the market if deliveries to retailers, restaurants and other clients are repeatedly delayed, the wholesaler added.

People planning to use the market to buy foodstuff and other goods for their stores and restaurants have also expressed dissatisfaction with poor access to the new market.

A bus route from Shinbashi Station of East Japan Railway Co. <9020>, or JR East, to Tsukiji was a favorite means of transportation among professional Tsukiji users.

The route will be reborn as a route to the new market 2.3 kilometers away from Tsukiji. But for the time being, the bus service, operated by the Tokyo metropolitan government, will take twice as long as the route to Tsukiji.

The route "is useless, because it takes far too long (to reach Toyosu)," a restaurant owner in Tokyo said.

The new market can also be accessed by the Yurikamome automated transit system, but this is also unpopular among people who will use the market.

"I'll miss the early-morning purchase session, as the first train is later than the bus or the subway that I used to get to Tsukiji," a sushi restaurant owner in Tokyo complained.

As public transportation is not convenient, many professional users are considering using cars or motorcycles to get to the new market.

Many, however, have been denied new parking spaces due to a shortage of parking lots.

Parking areas in the new market are already full, a senior official of an organization of professional buyers said, criticizing the metropolitan government for underestimating automobile users.

While a provisional Ring Road No. 2 section is set to open in early November between Tsukiji and Toyosu, it will be difficult for large trucks to use the highway due to its sharp corners and narrow roads.

To ease expected traffic jams, the metropolitan government will recommend routes for various situations, in pamphlets and bulletin boards, officials said.

Market workers, however, expressed skepticism. An intermediate wholesaler said the measure would do little to improve the situation. Jiji Press