【Reading】うおいちば

【English Name】Fish Market

A trading hub that supports the distribution of fish and shellfish—that is a fish market (uoichiba). Encompassing both wholesale from fishers to fishmongers and retail in which general consumers buy directly, its business forms are diverse.

Already in the time of ancient Greece, markets dealing in fish were held, and they are said to have been used not only as hubs of trade but also as plazas where citizens gathered to discuss current affairs and politics. Because fish is an ingredient that spoils quickly, for a long time markets were established mainly in coastal towns, but with the spread of ice and rudimentary cooling technology, they began to spread to inland cities as well. Furthermore, from the 19th century onward, as freezing and refrigeration technology and high-speed transport networks were developed, geographic constraints all but disappeared.

On the other hand, in modern times consumers' purchasing behavior has shifted to supermarkets, and the major large-scale fish markets have nearly all switched to wholesale-centered operation. Standing at the world's top in volume handled is Tokyo's Toyosu Market, where about 660,000 tons of fish and shellfish are distributed annually. After this market, which opened in 2018 upon relocating from Tsukiji, come Mercamadrid in Madrid, Spain (about 220,000 tons), and the Sydney Fish Market in Australia, ranked third in volume handled.

For sushi chefs, the fish market is an indispensable presence as a source for procuring toppings, and in Japan it has long been familiarly called "kashi" (riverbank). A characteristic feature is that both wholesale and retail forms also carry the face of being a tourism resource.