Tour Report: October 1, 2016

Thank you for all the guests who joined us last week on October 1st.
Apologies for the late update due to technical issues.

I went with a group of just over 20 guests. Early on in the tour we talked about how our new govenor, Yuriko Koike, once suggested introducing double-decker trains in order to improve the infamous Tokyo rush hours.

Koike has been in office since August as the first female governor of Tokyo. Perhaps the most debated item on her agenda is the relocation of the Tsukiji Market. Or to be more precise, its postponement.

Tsukiji Market is one of the largest wholesale food market in the world and a popular tourist destination. The market was established in 1935 after the great Kanto earthquake devastated the former market in the Nihonbashi area. Due to aging facilities, it was decided to be relocated to the Toyosu area this November. That is, until Koike came into office.

Koike argued that the relocation needed to be reexamined. It has widely been known that there were certain food safety risks due to pollution at the new site. Koike’s predecessors has maintained that sufficient measures had been taken to counter this risk. Koike and her supporters are not yet convinced. The new timeline for the relocation is currently up in the air.

At least one good aspect of this confusion is that people will be able to visit the current site for some more time. Plan carefully, because only 120 people can join on a first-come-first-served basis. With renewed attention, it is as competitive as ever.
I too am considering a visit. If I succeed, I will share the experience on my tour.