People who work in the market ~ one day in the fruit part ~
Workers at the Market
Wholesaler
Wholesalers receive goods from the shippers and sell them to intermediate wholesalers and authorized buyers through auctions and related-party transactions in the wholesale area of the market. Wholesalers must receive a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Related retailer
Related retailers sell related food products such as seaweed and tea, along with kitchen utensils, to visitors to the market. The parties who operate restaurants or transportation services at the market are also related retailers. Related retailers must receive a permit from the Governor of Tokyo.
Authorized buyer
Authorized buyers are parties such as retailers, food processing companies and regional wholesale market vendors who purchase goods through auctions and related-party transactions in the same way as intermediate wholesalers. Authorized buyers must receive a permit from the Governor of Tokyo.
Intermediate wholesaler
Intermediate wholesalers buy goods from the wholesalers and sell them in intermediate wholesale stores, where they are purchased by buyers such as retailers and restaurants. Intermediate wholesalers must receive a permit from the Governor of Tokyo.
Retailer
Retailers purchase their goods from the intermediate wholesalers and provide them to consumers in facilities such as retail stores and restaurants. Retailers come not only from Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures but from all over Japan to purchase goods sold at Toyosu Market.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, which has been transported straight from the producing area all over Japan, wait for the auction to begin.
Several thousand tons of products are traded within a few hours and depart for Tokyo Metropolitan and nearby area.
2:00
Unloading products(previous evening till midnight)
Many trucks arrive at the market to deliver a variety of fruits and vegetables from their areas of origin.
The wholesalers receive the goods delivered to the market, sort the fruits and vegetables by criteria such as type and quality and then arrange them in boxes in the wholesale area.
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Wholesalers are also responsible for displaying details such as the shipping information of the fruits and vegetables and the price at which they will be sold in the market. |
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5:00
Preview before the auction(5:00am)
Intermediate wholesalers and authorized buyers prepare for the auction by carefully inspecting factors such as the appearance of the fruit and vegetables, the areas of origin written for the goods and the quality level. They use this information to decide in advance which items they would like to buy and how much they are willing to pay.
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Previewing is an important job - you need to be able to judge the quality of the goods and figure out an appropriate price. |
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06:30
Auction begins(6:30am)
It's time for the auctions to start.
The auctions may take the form of kotei-zeri ("fixed auction") or ido-zeri ("moving auction"). In a kotei-zeri auction, also known as "mihon-zeri" ("sample auction"), the auctioneer writes the sizes and quantities of the goods on a blackboard and auctions them in the order they are written.
In an ido-zeri, the auctions are held in front of each pile of goods.
Each set is auctioned to an intermediate wholesaler or authorized buyer.
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Everyone around you is your rival. In an auction, the price and buyer are decided in an instant, so you can't lose concentration for a moment. |
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08:00
Loading products(8am)
Authorized buyers and other buyers use forklifts and turret trucks to quickly load the fruit and vegetables they have bought that day, then take them to their stores.
And that's how fresh fruit and vegetables reach your area!
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When the goods reach your area, they are sorted, processed or cooked and then arranged at the store so that you can buy them easily. |
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