Nicola Tanzini: Tokyo Tzukiji

Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world, is considered a sacred place by Japanese restaurateurs. Its fame has grown exponentially and it is one of the most-visited attractions in Tokyo. Currently, Tsukiji risks losing its identity due to dislocation as a result of the 2020 Olympics.

Framing Tsukiji in the context of a frenzied expression of our collective imagination, Nicola Tanzini dwells on a lesser-known aspect: the end of the working day, late in the morning. The author turns his attention to the internal market (jonai shijo), which presents a drama whose protagonists are the wholesalers, unfolding in the moments that precede the closure of the market. Everything finally slows down, and the frenetic atmosphere of a moment before—whose pace is set by thousands of customers, professionals, and tourists—now appears suspended in a state of physical and mental calm.

Nicola Tanzini (b. Pisa, 1964) has been an entrepreneur and photographer for over thirty years. His research is mainly inspired by the movement of humanist photography, focusing on behavior, everyday situations, and human nature, in what the author considers his natural environment: the road. He founded Street Diaries, a constantly-evolving project focused on street photography, which is nourished thanks to the numerous journeys made by the author around the world and which so far has documented places such as London, Dublin, San Francisco, and many more. Tokyo: Tsukiji is his first monograph.

Editor Benedetta Donato is an independent curator. She is the president of the cultural association pianoBI, for which she curated and produced several photographic projects. She collaborates with contemporary art galleries, institutions, and art events, and contributes frequently to Il Fotografo magazine, for which she interviews the stars of international photography.