Tourists to be barred from Tsukiji tuna auctions for a month

Thursday 04th December, 07:20 AM JST

TOKYO —

Tourists will be banned from pre-dawn tuna auctions at the Tsukiji fish market for at least a month, officials said Wednesday. “We have decided on a total ban as visitors are taking pictures with flash and touching tuna, which gets in the way of bidding,” said Akiko Ueyama, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo metropolitan government. “The market is not a visitor attraction but a place for fish bidding.”

Local authorities have long overlooked hundreds of people, mostly foreign tourists, flocking every day to Tsukiji market to see the tuna auctions. But the metropolitan government will now deploy guards to enforce the ban, which is due to begin on Dec 15. It will notify embassies, hotels and travel agencies of the move.

“We are also considering if we should continue it indefinitely,” Ueyama said.

The market, the source of fresh sushi and sashimi flown daily to top restaurants the world over, has long topped must-see lists for first-time visitors to Tokyo.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 77 Total Comments Show All

newsboy at 05:03 AM JST - 5th December

This is nothing new, they have been complaining about this for a long time and trying to work ways to keep the tourists from interfering with the auction process, personally I don't blame for doing this, it is a workplace after all, imagine if you had groups of idiot tourists in your office taking pictures and messing with your stuff during your work day....
Progression at 05:36 AM JST - 5th December

I would be happy to have people around taking photos and looking at something as interesting as Tsukiji Market. I have been many times and not even once i saw anyone interfere with their business. Typical idiot ism at is best. Bravo Japan once again
cuddles20008 at 06:02 AM JST - 5th December

MEMO: JAPANESE WHALING COMMISSION

In order to hide our Illegal sale of Whale meat (Tuna) please implement measures to ban observers of the practice.

Suggest a 1 month trial, if we get away with it lets make it indeffinate.

Japanese whale commission ...AKA Whale research Wink Wink!!
Good_Jorb at 06:45 AM JST - 5th December

Suggest a 1 month trial, if we get away with it lets make it indeffinate.

The would have just banned Australian tourist if that were the truth.

New Lonely Planet Guide for Japan. Hot off the presses.

As well in Japan you will come across self-rightous foreigners, most likely the teaching field, who hate Japan and yet seem entirely unable to return to thier home countries and/or talk about anything other Japan. They turn any conversation or article like a Japanese fishing market closing to tourist into a rant about how horrible and racist Japan is.
knews at 09:00 AM JST - 5th December

newsboy

I'm with you on this one. Basically, tourists get in the way of people trying to do their job at the markets. That is what this is about. You can find whale meat in other areas of the market so it's nothing to do with that. Imagine busloads of Japanese tourists at the NY Stock Exchange running around the trading floor taking photos or having their photos taken in front of traders!
GJDailleult at 09:16 AM JST - 5th December

As well in Japan you will come across self-rightous foreigners...

Aha!!! The old "Don't listen to him because he is a self-rightous, Japan-bashing, hater" argument, with a dash of foreigner bashing on top, including the euphemistic use of the term "the teaching field". Me thinks "the realist's" somewhat over the top post may have struck a nerve.

Moderator: Readers, please stay on topic.
Good_Jorb at 12:28 AM JST - 6th December

Aha!!! The old "Don't listen to him because he is a self-rightous, Japan-bashing, hater" argument, with a dash of foreigner bashing on top, including the euphemistic use of the term "the teaching field".

Did I say don't listen him? I would never condone censoring anyone. The use of "the teaching field" was not a euphemism but rather a statement of fact, IMO. I stand by statement that you will find self-rightous foreigners in Japan, that will turn any conversation or article in rants that contradict common sense. The article said that all tourist(Foriegn and Japanese) were banned because it is a place of business and the tourist were interfering with how the business was being conducted. Nothing nefarious or racist just common sense and as for it striking nerve, although I found post somewhat irksome, in the way I find most racist banter irksome, it was far from hitting a nerve.
GJDailleult at 12:36 PM JST - 7th December

Ok, fair enough. But the points being made, and not only on that one post but by others too, is that Japanese attitudes towards foreigners make it an unattractive destination compared to a place like Thailand. And that the banning of tourists from Tsukiji is a symptom of that problem. Both points might or might not be true, but whether they are or not has nothing to do with how many self-rightous foreigners there are in Japan.
elbudamexicano at 07:17 PM JST - 7th December

Who needs Tsukiji! The workers their always have a nasty look on their faces. I guess they hate gaijins, so they can stick Tsukiji right up where the sun don't shine!
AlfGarnett at 03:22 AM JST - 8th December

Blimey, this is a tourist spot. As usual the Japanese are putting people off from visiting, (on purposei reckon). They'll only lose out in the end, you'll see. And another thing when you see japanese tourists all yous see is bleeding camera flashes, so how can they moan, the Philistines?
RakishGadfly at 07:43 AM JST - 8th December

the banning of tourists from Tsukiji is a symptom of that problem.

That may be true if tourists were being banned from Tsukiji, however they are not being banned from Tsukiji. They are being banned from the early morning tuna auction ONLY, a fact which seems to have slipped the notice of many though it is an important distinction. There is nothing wrong with that as it is distracting. No "racism" involved.

Simple reading comprehension seems to be beyond the abilities of many JTers, willfully or otherwise.
GJDailleult at 08:19 AM JST - 8th December

Not sure why the comment above has a certain R word in quotes. That is the only place where the word shows up on this entire page, going all the way back to the first comment. But what do I know, I got a reading comprehension problem. I thought tourists where banned from ALL of Tsukiji, hehe.
Plansguy351 at 03:17 PM JST - 8th December

First of all, Tuna does not smell. In fact, if you go to Tsukiji and smell, you will smell very little. Everything is fresh and all you smell the the smell of the sea. Second, I understand the workers frustration. This is their job. You can watch and take photos from a distance. I visited Tsukiji and had a wonderful time. The personnel there were very warm and friendly. If you have a Japanese friend, take him or her with you. And finally, don't touch the tuna!!!
kawaiitenshi at 12:45 AM JST - 9th December

Why would you tourists want to come to a stupid fish market? It's like us going to a walmart and crowding employees... taking photos and generally annoying the crap out of everyone... deterring the real customers and not buying anything! There are better things to see here than some silly auction of fishes. If there was actually a revenue being generated to support the businesses that would be a whole different story. And what's with all the assumptions this is to cover up some sort of whale auction?
Rickyrab at 04:27 PM JST - 24th December

In other words: BAWWWWWWWWW, as they say on the image boards. Or as I say, much whin(g)ing about nothing!