Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market Then and Now

The other day, we published an article about Kwansei Gakuin students holding an event at the wholesale market, and I visited the market for that coverage.

The market is scheduled to be redeveloped, and construction may begin as early as next year, so there is only a little time left to see the current wholesale market.

So I took various photos and spoke with people there.

The person who kindly shared many stories with us was Mr. Masahiko Nakajima, Secretary General of Nishinomiya Market Co., Ltd.

Mr. Nakajima, thank you very much.

What Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market Looks Like Now

This is the market entrance as seen from Route 2.

Many people have probably passed by here.

This is what it looks like just inside the entrance shown above.

It is a wholesale market, but the shops near the entrance also sell retail.

We continued further inside.

Apparently, the roofs and buildings have become quite aged.

This is what it looks like inside.

Since I went in the afternoon, the shops were closed, as expected.

It is a little complicated, but this market used to include the public “Nishinomiya City Local Wholesale Market” and the privately operated “Nishinomiya City East Local Wholesale Market.”

Strictly speaking, the sign shown here refers to the “Nishinomiya City East Local Wholesale Market,” but in practice, the two were apparently operated almost jointly.

The public “Nishinomiya City Local Wholesale Market” was abolished in July of this year and integrated into the privately operated market.

There used to be many fresh fish shops, but now most of the businesses are fruit and vegetable shops.

This shop, “Yamani Seika,” is well known for operating the cake shop Arrow Tree.

This is a column-free building that was relocated from a hangar of Nakajima Aircraft, which used to be in Naruo.

The ceiling structure is distinctive.

The History of the Market

The history of Nishinomiya’s market is long, dating back to the Meiji period.

It took its current form after the war, but even counting from then, it has a history of more than 70 years.

Originally, there were three markets, one public and two private, but now they have become one through abolition and integration.

Please see the timeline here↓

(Source: Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market official website)

Until before the earthquake, there was also a market west of the Higashigawa River called the “Nishinomiya Local Wholesale Market,” known as the “West Market” (the current market is called the East Market).

(Source: Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market official website)

The West Market was between the JR line and the national road, around the upper right area of this photo (can you see it?).

Because it suffered severe damage in the earthquake, it was abolished in 2001.

The former West Market now looks like this↓

For more details, please see this website↓
Nishinomiya City Local Wholesale Market Federation official website

Market Initiatives

At its peak, the market had more than 160 businesses, but today that number has fallen to 34.

Those involved with the market say their hope is that more residents will get to know the market, feel closer to it, and casually drop by, helping ensure its survival.

In the past, the market probably had an atmosphere that made it somewhat difficult for ordinary amateurs like us to enter, but in recent years they have been working on various initiatives to make it more open.

Several events are planned in the near future, so we will introduce some of them here.

Please feel free to take part if you are interested.

Oroichi Quiz Rally (Sunday, September 29)

This is the quiz rally held at the market that we introduced in a recent article.

Please see this article for details↓

Kwansei Gakuin Students to Hold Event at Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market

2019年9月10日

Dashi Class (Sunday, October 27)

This event invites Mr. Kashiwagi from Hyogo Nutrition Culinary and Confectionery College to teach participants how to make delicious dashi.

It was apparently well received last year, and two sessions are planned, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Morning Marché (Sunday, November 3)

This is a plan to hold a marché at the market, bringing together various shops and businesses from around the city.

It is scheduled to run from around 9:00 to 13:00.

Details about the Dashi Class and Morning Marché will be announced on the official website and elsewhere once they are finalized, so please refer to the official website below.

(Nishinomiya City Wholesale Market official website)
http://oroichi.com/

Finally

Rebuilding of this market may begin as early as next year.

The structure itself is old and has deteriorated, and when earthquake resistance and fire resistance are taken into account, there is apparently no option other than rebuilding it.

Nishitsu has also covered the redevelopment plan around JR Nishinomiya, including the rebuilding of this market, and naturally there are many different opinions both for and against it.

We have heard many opposing views in particular regarding the construction of a tower condominium, but apparently it cannot be removed from the plan because it is necessary in order to secure the budget for rebuilding the market.

Until now, I did not know that much about the market, and I had thought of the redevelopment plan as something that did not really concern me.

But a large amount of tax money will also be used, so of course it is not someone else’s issue.

After reporting on the market, I was reminded again that not only some people, but all of us, need to think more about our town as something that concerns us personally.

At Nishitsu, we will keep working to help everyone learn more about the many things happening in Nishinomiya.