Tour Report on Thursday, February 16 (Weekday Tour)

Tokyo Free Walking Tour thanks all four wonderful guests, who joined the tour on February 16.
It was a warm, pleasant spring morning without strong wind.

Plum trees

Early-bloom cherry blossoms

Early-bloom cherry blossoms

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Many guides in this volunteer group shout “Say SUSHI!” when we take photos of international tourists.
One of the unique points of Japanese cuisine is that people eat raw fish very often.
Sushi and sashimi, both raw fish, have been traditional food in Japan since the time when we have no refrigerator.
Raw fish have to be very fresh, but how has it been possible?

Japan has the world’s sixth largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) located in the Northwest Pacific, which is one of the major fishing grounds on earth (accounting for 24% of the world fishery production volume in 2014).

Japan’s EEZ has large continental shelves, terrace-shaped shallow sea areas at a depth of around 200 meters, which are suitable for habitats of bottom fish.
Moreover, both sides of the Japanese Islands form ‘Avenues of Fish’, mainly composed of the Oya-shio Current (rich in nutrient salts from the north) and Kuro-shio Current (brings fish from southern areas).

In addition, did you know that 67% of Japanese land is covered with forests? Abundant forest resources in land area also provide nutrient salts from soil and contribute to fishery production.

The unique environment around Japan enables us to catch fresh, nutritious fish and to eat them raw without ‘smell of fish’.
There may be several sushi restaurants in your country, but try ‘real’ sushi and sashimi IN JAPAN! It should be worth trying, even in a good price.

(Data and images from MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations))

By Hiroshi N.

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Tokyo Free Walking Tour has regular tours every Saturday and has irregular tours in weekdays and Sundays.
If you are in Tokyo, why not come and join us?
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