Itabashi Trading exports fresh fish from Toyosu market to North America every week.

In order to expand our sales, we have visited our customers in Seattle and Portland, Washington, the largest cities in the northwestern United States.　

In Japan, it was still hot in September, but in Seattle it was chilly at less than 20 degrees Celsius.

After arriving in Seattle, we had dinner at a sushi restaurant owned by an importer we do business with regularly. Since we were in Seattle, the restaurant was decorated with Ichiro's goods, photos, uniforms, etc.

The sushi set I ordered also included a California roll, a type of sushi roll popular in the United States.　 Looking at the menu, there are over 20 different types of California rolls, which shows how popular they are.　 On the menu there was a spicy California roll called Blazing Godzilla, which caught my eye and I'll try it next time.

Since there was a Japanese chef, we had Japanese food such as tempura and deep-fried tofu, and everything was delicious and taste just like the food we had in Japan.

The next day, we visited the importer's warehouse and toured the salmon and tuna processing plants.

Salmon is a symbolic fish of the American Northwest. The fact that wild salmon can live there is proof that the water is clean, and the environment is good.

Also, the market we visited for market research, Pike Place Market, is the oldest existing public market in the United States.

The first thing we saw when we entered the market was the fish section. Salmon, crab, lobster, squid, octopus, and other fish were lined up in the stores, and there were many tourists there.

And within the market, one shop that stood out and attracted a crowd was a shop where a shop assistant was tossing fish high over the counter while shouting loudly.

Many tourists smiled at the dynamic and hilarious sight of the fish flying through the air during the performance after purchasing the fish.　The exchange of throwing fish is repeated two or three times before they are wrapped.

Sometimes a mistake was made, and the fish was dropped, but it was a charm.

I watched it with the thought in my mind, "The Toyosu market people would be angry if they saw this."

↑Flying salmon

During this business trip, I visited the restaurants of customers with whom I regularly keep in contact, and received many opinions and requests. What all of our customers had in common was that they all worked with the belief that they wanted local people to eat delicious fish.

To respond to that desire, we will continue to work hard to deliver the best products from each production area and market.

If you have any questions about how to handle our products, please feel free to contact us.

 

【Contact us】

Itabashi Trading Co., Ltd

Food Department　

TEL :+81-3-3248-1016（Workday 10:00～17:00）　

FAX :+81-3-3248-1008

Email: shokuhin@itabashi-trading.com