Moves by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to build a new marketplace on the site of the Tsukiji market have drawn mixed reactions, with some critics saying it is an attempt to bulldoze through the controversial relocation of the famed fish market to a new site.
According to plans revealed Tuesday, the new market will be built on the site of the Kachidokimon parking garage next to Tsukiji's outer market. The facility will have approximately 100 shops selling fish and fresh vegetables to professional chefs and ordinary customers alike.
Tokyo and Chuo Ward said that they plan to open the facility before the Tsukiji wholesale market relocates to Toyosu in Koto Ward in 2014, in the hopes of inheriting the dynamic feel of the nation's largest, busiest and best-known fish and vegetable market.