A superb study about the people, pandemonium and relationships that define the Tsukiji fish marketplace, Theodore C. Bestor's "Tsukiji" is enriched by more than a decade of ethnographic research on a subject key to an understanding of Japanese food culture and identity. Bestor's writing conveys an easy familiarity and command of the subject, shifting smoothly from anecdotes and fishwive's tales to discussion of how the institutions and networks of this marketplace define and are shaped by time, place and culture.
Bestor makes a compelling case for understanding markets as much more than places of supply-and-demand and commodities. He focuses on the participants, their families and the web of practices and institutions that render Tsukiji a vibrant marketplace.
It is a place where families are bound by business and marriage ties, a place where the principle of "buyer beware" is subject to arbitration if a flaw is detected in a fish subsequent to purchase. The warren of stalls arranged in seemingly haphazard fashion is subject to regular rotation so that the best locations are shared. There is a strong preference for sharing risk, promoting equity and dampening divisive competition. And what happens in an auction if two bidders name the same price? Naturally they break the tie with an impromptu round of the child's game, jan-ken (rock-paper-scissors)!