Tsukiji

Tsukiji (築地) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Tsukiji fish market. Literally meaning "reclaimed land," it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 1700s, during the Edo period.

There are also districts named "Tsukiji" in Kobe and Amagasaki, cities in Hyōgo Prefecture, although neither are as well known as Tokyo's.

History

Tsukiji is built on reclaimed land out of what were once lowland marshes along the Sumida River delta. Throughout the Tokugawa period, earth from the shogunate's extensive moat and canal excavations was systematically used to fill in the marshes along the river, creating new commercial districts and waterfront housing.

The Great Meireki Fire of 1657 destroyed over two-thirds of Edo's buildings, including Honganji temple in Asakusa, the enormous Kantō headquarters of the Jodo Shinshu sect. As a result, the temple site was relocated to Tsukiji, where many of the residents of nearby Tsukudajima were instrumental in its reconstruction. A number of other temples were also erected on what is now the outer marketplace. In addition, many private residences for samurai and feudal lords were constructed along the southern edge of Tsukiji. In 1869, Tsukiji was designated as an approved residential area for foreigners.

The Great Kantō earthquake on September 1, 1923, and the resultant fires which raged in its aftermath, caused incalculable damage throughout central Tokyo. A significant portion of the Tsukiji district burned to the ground, and the old Nihonbashi fish market was completely razed. In the citywide restructuring following the quake, the Nihonbashi fish market was relocated to the Tsukiji district, and after the construction of a modern market facility, reopened in 1935.

Places of interest

*For many tourists in Tokyo, the Central Wholesale Market, better known as the Tsukiji fish market and said to be one of the best sushi destinations in the world, is synonymous with Tsukiji. It is also the largest fish market in the world handling more than 2000 tons of 450 types of seafood daily. [cite journal | month = January | year = 2005 | title = Lox, Stock, and Barrel | author = Billie Cohen | journal = National Geographic Magazine ]
*Tsukiji Honganji, a key temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism.
*Inside the temple is a small memorial to former J-rock star Hide.
*St. Luke's Garden Tower, one of Tokyo's tallest buildings, and the adjoining St. Luke's International Hospital
*National Cancer Center

Companies based in Tsukiji

*Asahi Shimbun
*Asatsu-DK
*NTT Data

ubway stations

*Tsukijishijō Station on Toei Ōedo Line
*Tsukiji Station on Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
*Walking distance from Shinbashi and Ginza

References

*Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World, Theodore C. Bestor, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004 (ISBN 0-520-22024-2)