Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tsukiji was closed down one after another. However, now that foreign tourists are returning, the area is bustling like never before. We tracked down three reasons why Tsukiji has become popular again. ■ "Printing the store name on the seaweed" - a trigger to attract customers The first reason why Tsukiji has become popular again is a "little ingenuity" that captures the hearts of foreigners. This restaurant, which has a constant line every day, specializes in sea urchin. You can enjoy a variety of seafood bowls made with a luxurious amount of fresh sea urchin. From Thailand: "Wonderful" From America: "Thank you" About 80% of the customers are foreigners. From Thailand: "Fresh" The most popular dish is the luxurious "Sea Urchin Tasting Bowl". It is piled high with five types of sea urchin from Hokkaido, Miyagi, and other areas. The price is the market price. On this day, it was 9,600 yen. From America: "It's cheap compared to the US where I live." From Thailand: "It's even more expensive in Thailand. The prices here are reasonable." How did you find this restaurant? From Thailand: "I saw on YouTube that a famous Thai actor had come here." Nowadays, everyone posts photos and videos on the Internet. So this restaurant came up with a creative idea. Unitora Manager Hiroshi Ogura: "I wanted people to know our name and come to visit. We printed the name of our restaurant on the seaweed." This way, even if you only post photos of the food, you can still promote your restaurant. Small innovations are what draw customers to Tsukiji. ■ "Tamagoyaki" as a snack... Easy gourmet food From America: "I was walking and saw a group of people gathered there, so I thought I'd buy some." A long-established tamagoyaki specialty store founded in 1924. This store also succeeded in attracting customers with a small innovation. They started selling cube-shaped tamagoyaki steamed in a bamboo steamer. They say that if you cool the fried tamagoyaki once and then warm it up again, the flavor of the dashi stock will become richer. For many years, they have sold egg sandwiches that can be enjoyed on the spot, but they have come up with even more ideas! Tsukiji Matsuro President Kenichiro Saito: "I wanted to create a lively atmosphere in the store." The idea of ​​eating tamagoyaki as a snack is also popular with foreigners. From Germany: "It's easy to eat and you can share it, so it's great." "Very good." There are more gourmet foods that can be easily eaten in stores in Tsukiji than before the COVID-19 pandemic. This may also be related to the return of vitality. ■ The reason why Tsukiji has become popular again in search of "deep flavors unique to Japan." The second reason is that what foreigners are looking for has changed. A tsukudani store founded in 1914. It is said that the popularity of a certain product is rapidly increasing. From the United States: "It's really good" "It's really good, I like the taste." The product they were trying was "Yuzu kosho (Citrus citrus pepper)." In fact, yuzu kosho is now attracting so much attention in the United States that it is being introduced as a seasoning that will be popular this year. From America: "I really like it because it's a flavor that doesn't exist in America. Yuzu is hard to find. I think I'll make a marinade with it." Recently, more and more foreigners are coming to Tsukiji in search of deeper flavors that are unique to Japan. Edoichi President Kazumasa Iida: "The reason they come to Tsukiji is to discover interesting things. I think they come to experience the original charm of the market." Suddenly, the store staff consulted the reporter's interpreter. Tsukudani store staff: "We want to make 'mixed rice' easy to understand." They were having trouble coming up with an English phrase that accurately conveyed "mixed rice base." The interpreter immediately printed out the idea he came up with. Interpreter: "I think it'll be fine." When they put up a sign saying "Just mix it with cooked rice," it seemed that the Indonesian family was immediately interested. And they bought "mixed rice base." From Indonesia: "I bought it because it was clearly written here. When I go back to Japan, I'll eat it with my whole family." Furthermore, a Chinese woman also bought some. Tsukudani shop staff: "Thanks to all of you, we were able to sell well. Thank you very much. It's all thanks to you." ■The power of social media to the world "I heard it's the best egg sandwich in the world" This is a sandwich shop loved by the locals. They were confused by the sudden increase in foreign customers. Tsukiji Kimagureya Owner Matsubara Yujiro: "We don't even have a website. We don't advertise at all. We just started asking locals for ingredients." It was the power of social media that made the sandwiches aimed at people who work in Tsukiji known around the world. From America: "I heard it was the 'best egg sandwich in the world,' and it's true. It's really delicious." ■The "BENTO culture" that interests many foreigners With the resurgence in popularity of Tsukiji, foreigners were also seen at a bento shop a little away from the outer market. From Taiwan: "It has a traditional atmosphere, and I thought I could eat food that is unique to Japan here." From China: "I was staying at a hotel nearby, and it looked delicious, so I bought some." Many foreigners are interested in the unique Japanese culture of "BENTO." This shop is run by a family. They offer a service that keeps them coming back for more. Customer: "They listen to my requests. Like, "Please make this for me." The attitude of trying to meet the customer's requests as much as possible is the same for foreigners. Tsukiji White's Sawao Kimiko (71): "They came in and asked, 'Can you speak English?' and we both said, 'No.' Then they started making the 'egg rattle,' so we said, 'Scrambled eggs?' and they said, 'Yes.' We said, 'Wait a minute,' and made it." Perhaps these kind stories are spreading on social media. Kimiko: "I think I'll start learning English now, too." Son, Masaki: "By the time I can speak it, I'll be dead." Kimiko: "I said, 'Goodbye.'" ■ Restaurant industry Increasing efforts to differentiate from other stores Foreigners are not the only reason why Tsukiji has become popular again. The needs of restaurants are also changing. A butcher shop founded in 1929. It says that they received a strange order from a restaurant with which they had never done business before. President of Omiya Beef Shop, Masahiro Terade: "A Sanuki udon restaurant asked me to make roast beef. I wondered why Sanuki udon would be roast beef." The restaurant that ordered the roast beef was a udon restaurant in Hamamatsucho, Tokyo. This restaurant offers authentic Sanuki udon at a reasonable price. They made the ultimate udon using roast beef. This is a superb bowl of udon, lavishly topped with Kagawa Prefecture's brand of Japanese beef, "Olive Beef." The price is 3,300 yen. Moriya Tokyo Store Manager Yudai Hama: "Not only do we want to increase the average customer spend, but we also want our customers to enjoy menu items that can only be found in our restaurant." In the restaurant industry, there are more and more attempts to differentiate ourselves from other restaurants. Manager Hama: "I was introduced to the person who developed our menu. He is a very particular professional. I knew that Omiya would be the right choice, so I asked them this time." "There are professionals in Tsukiji who handle good ingredients." Restaurant owners who have rediscovered the value of Tsukiji are flocking to the area, further spurring its prosperity. President Terade: "The reason (Tsukiji) is experiencing a resurgence is because the real thing remains. I think the stubbornness of continuing to sell the real thing has been recognized as a value by people, and that's why we're attracting so many customers." [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp