Tokyo Fish Market, Berkeley

The origins of Tokyo Fish trace back to the mid-1900s. Husband and wife Isamu and Tazuye Fujita operated a bait shop on San Pablo Avenue. Wanting to get into the food business, they left the bait industry and opened up Tokyo Fish Market in 1963.

When Tokyo Fish Market opened, it was located in a 1,700 square-foot building. It featured many Japanese grocery items as well as a respectable selection of fresh fish. Isamu and Tazuye ran the shop on their own, but despite being short-handed, business continued to grow and expand over the next several years.

Click to enlarge.
When Isamu Fujita passed away in 1971, the business was left in the hands of his wife, Tazuye. Operating a business on her own was no easy task, so her children, as well as family-friends, all came together to help.

Over the next several decades, Tazuye had the help from not only her youngest son, Larry, but also her daughter Carolyn. The family business grew to the point where even more help was required. In 1990, Lee (Cubby) Nakamura was brought on board to help manage the ever-growing fish counter.

Click to enlarge.
With such a strong team helping throughout the next 15 years, it's no surprise that Tokyo Fish Market expanded even further. In the early 2000s, business was booming. With holiday-lines that curved around the building and into the parking lot, it was clear Tokyo Fish needed to expand. In 2002, a plan for a new, larger, Tokyo Fish Market was put into motion. Development began shortly