The origin of wholesale market dates back to the place for barter trade in Edo era. Fishermen had been ordered to deliver fishes to the Tokugawa Shogunate and allowed to sell the rest of the fishes to residents near the Nihonbashi bridge, which is said to have been the start of fish market in Tokyo.

The fruits and vegetables market appeared spontaneously around the same period.

The early fish market in Edo (Tokyo) (Shoho era 1645～1648)

Private markets had contributed to stabilize the food life of residents around Meiji Restoration (roughly 1868-1889),

however the intensity of World War 1 (1914-1918) caused the sharp rise in prices and the rice riots occurred in 1918.

With these backgrounds the Wholesale Market Law was enacted in 1923 to improve the prices of fresh foods through adjusting supply and demand. But the private markets were damaged seriously by the great Kanto earthquake just after the enactment of the law.

Fish market in Meiji era

The plan for public wholesale market establishment was decided by Tokyo Metropolitan Government as part of recovery project from the devastation by the big earthquake and 3 public wholesale markets including Tsukiji were opened in 1935, then 3 markets in succession to 1960’s. After that, several markets had been established to deal with the sharp increase in population through the period of high economic growth in 1970’s and changes in the environment associated with distribution.

Tsukiji Market under construction（around 1933）

Some of the wholesale markets in Tokyo have begun to handle flowers in succession, starting with Kita-Adachi wholesale market located in northern Tokyo since the last year of Showa era.

Nowadays refurbishment of facilities and equipment in wholesale markets is under way to supply residents in Greater Tokyo area with fresh foods and flowers securely. As the new center of fresh food distribution relocating Tsukiji Market, Toyosu Market opened.

We Tokyo Metropolitan Wholesale Market will do our best to meet the resident's expectation for food safety, security and variety oｆ foods towards the future.

Toyosu Market