Tsukiji Wonderland (2016)

This documentary taught me more about the fish trade in Japan than I ever thought I would want to know -- which is the best kind of documentary.
However, squeamish people should maybe approach this one with caution. We see fish being killed and filleted in close-ups; even I, who is not normally fazed, felt vaguely uncomfortable when the vendors used a thin rod and pushed it into the fish to crush their spines (so they'd be paralysed but still alive).

The films looks at the different kinds of vendors and workers who work at Tsukiji Fish Market, which is the largest and most important fish market in Japan. We get to see their work day (rather: night), and, more importantly, their relationships with each other: While yes, there's a rivalry going on, the workers and vendors are also aware that they are dependent from each other -- not only vertically (from wholesaler to grocer to consumer) but also horizontally; because in the end, they are all dependent on the market's good reputation.
Of course, the docu also shows the famous Japanese working spirit, the pride in providing excellent service and products and all the traditions that come with it. However, it doesn't hide that new eating habits of the Japanese people as well as the declining birth rates have already changed the market, and a further decline is expected.
One thing to know is that this docu was made in 2016, so ten years ago. Near the end, they tell us that there are changes coming to the market (if I understood it correctly, the wanted to built a new market?). I wonder how Tsukiji market is doing nowadays?

There is only one aspect I wasn't too fond of: That the narrator spoke English, not Japanese. For me, this disrupts the general vibe and it's not needed at all, especially since everything else was in Japanese and we need the subtitles anyway.

Personally, I would have loved to see even more of the behind-the-scenes and the history of the building but that's not a complaint, because we get to see plenty already.
Recommended.

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