Director Naotaro Endo first started filming "Tsukiji Wonderland" in 2014, and it had been partly intended as a farewell to Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, which faces a makeover and move after serving sellers and buyers for 80 years. When the film was made, the market was slated to move to Toyosu on Nov. 7, 2016.
That was then, though. Now, the Toyosu site is smack in the middle of an environmental scandal involving contaminated soil and a gaping hole in one of the building's floors. The original construction budget of ¥6.3 billion has also mysteriously inflated to almost 10 times that in the space of three years and no one can really pinpoint where the money is going. The current Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has issued a statement saying a final groundwater survey is being conducted, a process that may last until at least February 2017, after which the market will likely move.
Captured over a total of 16 months, spanning every season, "Tsukiji Wonderland" celebrates the old market in captivating, enthralling and mesmerizing footage. It marks the first time a film crew has been allowed to shoot for such a long period of time inside the intricate, mammoth structure of the inner market.