Midori and Takashi Nakao, 55 and 61, are the owners of Ichifuji, a shop selling Japanese crockery in Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market. Established in 1951, the store is located in one of the oldest buildings in the jōgai shijō or outer market. More than 5,000 types of Japanese tableware are available to buy, most of which are displayed in large plastic boxes on the sidewalk. Famous for its variety, high-quality goods and low prices, Ichifuji supplies cups and dishes to many izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) and sushi bars not only around Japan but also abroad. Business has been slow in the last few months, but nothing can cloud the skies for the two who still laugh nonstop at each other's jokes.
Midori: A limited vocabulary should not stop anyone from talking. My English is really poor. I can't make full sentences, so I use simple words to ask foreigners questions, such as, "Country?" "Private?," "Business?," "Kyoto?," "Asakusa?" They understand what I'm trying to ask and reply at length. I understand a lot more than I can speak, so we can chat like this for a long time. "Korea?," "France?" and so on.
Takashi: Business must adjust to the customers. We get up at 2:30 in the morning. That's actually late because by that time, most people are hard at work in the market. Midori does the laundry while I make us some onigiri (rice balls) for lunch. By 4 a.m., we are here in Tsukiji. Sometimes customers are already in line in front of our shop by that time. They come from Gunma and Saitama prefectures — from all over Japan.