1. How Vegetables Travel from Farms to the Greengrocer Through the Market
The tomatoes and cabbages lined up on a greengrocer’s shelves did not come in a straight line from the farm to the shop. According to the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market, vegetables and fruits basically pass from producers (farmers) to shipping organizations (such as agricultural cooperatives), then to the wholesale market, and finally to retailers (supermarkets or greengrocers) before reaching consumers [5].
The Tokyo explanation page states that just over half of all fresh produce is thought to pass through wholesale markets. However, this figure covers all fresh produce including imports; if you look only at domestic products, the percentage changes. More vegetables are also being shipped directly without going through the market [5].
In other words, the market is not a path that all vegetables take, but it is an important source of supply for greengrocers. What happens at the market from night until morning?
2. Produce Arrives at the Wholesale Market from the Previous Afternoon Until Midnight
According to the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market’s "A Day at the Market," cargo of fresh produce arrives from production areas from the previous afternoon until midnight, and wholesalers receive it. By around 5:00 AM, secondary wholesalers and trading participants carefully inspect the origin and grade written on the cardboard boxes and decide what they plan to buy. This is called shita-mi (pre-auction inspection) [1].
Auctions take place from around 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, and the purchased cargo is loaded onto buyers' vehicles around 8:00 AM [1]. This is an example from Tokyo, and times vary depending on the market and the day of the week.
An auction is a method of selling to the person who offers the highest price. In the market, besides auction sales, there are also bids and aitai torihiki (negotiated trading), where wholesalers and buyers discuss price and quantity. Prices are determined by the balance of supply and demand [6].
The "secondary wholesalers" and "buyers" mentioned here are the keys to understanding the position of the greengrocer.
3. Why Greengrocers Are Called "Buyers" in the Market
Among the people working in the market, secondary wholesalers sell goods bought from wholesalers to buyers at shops within the market [2]. The main roles of secondary wholesalers are expert appraisal of the goods, and sorting and dividing them to prepare the goods in a form suitable for buyers [3]. A Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries document also lists professional appraisal, efficient sorting, and credit provision to retailers as the roles of secondary wholesalers [4]. However, this document is from 2004 and does not show the current number of markets or their management status.
Buyers are people who procure goods for retail shops and restaurants in town from secondary wholesalers and provide them to consumers. Greengrocers who procure from secondary wholesalers fall into this category of "buyers" [2].
In other words, the vegetables lined up in a greengrocer’s shop have passed through two sets of eyes: first, secondary wholesalers appraise them, and then the greengrocer considers whether they suit their own shop’s customers. The term "two-stage appraisal" is a name used in this article to organize this idea.
So, how do greengrocers interact with secondary wholesalers?
4. Why Greengrocers Visit the Market to Build Relationships with Sellers
In an interview with Bunshun Online, the president of Super Akidai said that visiting the market regularly and building relationships with the sales staff of secondary wholesale companies is the foundation of his procurement [7]. The market seems to be a place not only to see the goods but also to meet the sellers face-to-face.
This is an example from a large store and may not apply to all greengrocers. The scale of procurement also varies greatly from shop to shop [7]. Nevertheless, it shows that the market is not just a place to "choose things" but also a place to "meet people."
After the vegetables selected at the market arrive at the shop, another set of tasks awaits.
5. How Shopkeepers Pass Along Ways to Eat Vegetables at the Shop
In the example of a greengrocer in Sangen-jaya, Tokyo, procuring directly from farmers allows them to understand the cultivation method and taste, so they can explain it properly to customers. The shop manager creates opportunities for buying by sharing easy ways to use the vegetables, such as "it is good to use them after a quick boil" or "just stir-fry them with eggs for a single dish" [8]. This shop does not represent all greengrocers, and some shops do not procure directly from farmers.
The owner of "Yao Masu," a greengrocer in Tokyo, says he handles seasonal vegetables and does not just sell the procured vegetables at the shop front. He also supplies them to school lunches and delivers vegetables for tempura to standing soba noodle shops. Because vegetables lose freshness if left over, having multiple sales destinations seems to help reduce waste [9]. This is also an example from just one shop.
In these two shops, they convey how to eat the vegetables or expand sales destinations to school lunches and soba shops to avoid leftover vegetables. These examples show how choosing produce and explaining it come together in the shop.
6. How to Use Origin Labels and Shopkeepers' Words at Your Local Store
Choose three bags or price tags that show vegetable origins from your home or a shop and compare them. Limiting this to bags with labels, you may find that even the same type of vegetable comes from different origins. Remembering that people at the market inspection checked the origin and grade on the boxes makes the meaning of the labels feel a bit closer.
If there is a greengrocer nearby, try asking "Which vegetables are delicious right now?" at a time when they are not too busy. You can hear what words are actually used in the shop-front task of handing over vegetables with cooking suggestions. When asking, try not to stop the shopkeeper’s work for too long.
If you want to know more about the market system, the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market’s "A Day at the Market" [1] and "People Working in the Market" [2] are published, including pages for children.