Food Wholesale Market Reopens a Month After New Year’s Day Japan Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:20 JST, February 1, 2024

NANAO, Ishikawa — The first auctions of the New Year took place at the fish and vegetable wholesale market in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday when the market reopened after a month-long shutdown due to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The restart of the largest market in the Noto region is one more step toward a return to everyday life.

The quake caused extensive damage to the city-run facility, including torn ceilings and cracks and cave-ins in the parking lot and passageways. Running water is still unavailable, so the water used at the market is being pumped from the sea and then filtered. The auctions started at about 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, offering various kinds of freshly caught local fish, such as buri yellowtail, mackerel, sea bream and octopus. Amid a flurry of calls from auctioneers and buyers, the fish were bought rapidly one after another.

“There were more fish than I expected. I’m glad it was very lively,” a 33-year-old man running a fishmonger in the city said.