She Cuts Giant Tuna with Skill and Power: The True Story of Japan’s Tuna Princess

She Cuts Giant Tuna with Skill and Power: The True Story of Japan’s Tuna Princess

She brought an umbrella just for me. JKT: “You’re up early in the morning!” “Yeah, it always starts early!” We’re heading to Tsukiji by taxi from here. JKT: “Do you always start this early?” “Pretty much, yeah! Around this time.” “On slower days, maybe around 4 a.m.” “But on early ones, I’m at work by 3 a.m.” She starts each morning by checking the day’s orders. “I’m already soaking wet…” “And I even did my hair this morning!” Good morning! This is where Rina works: Kitani Suisan in Tsukiji. This morning, she’s starting off by cutting tuna. It’s a bit smaller than usual today. Rina has been working at Kitani Suisan for seven years. She’s becoming somewhat of a local celebrity here in Tsukiji. “I was born in Niigata, and I moved to Tokyo when I was 25.” “Before that, I was a designer—I made signs and stuff!” “I’ve always loved making things.” “So I got into creative work.” “After about seven years, I felt like I’d done all I could.” “Then I thought, ‘I want to try something totally different.’” “So I quit. And I was like, ‘Now what?’” “I saw a young woman buying fish at the supermarket.” “I thought, ‘She can probably fillet that herself…’” “That’s so cool.” “I couldn’t do that…” “I’ve been outdone!” “I thought, ‘A woman who can fillet fish? That’s so cool.’” “But then I realized,
there are a lot of women who can fillet regular fish.” “But maybe not many who can fillet *tuna*, right?” “I started thinking, I want to handle a big fish.” “And I was like, ‘Tuna! That’s it!’” “Can I get a hand here?” It takes three people to cut off the fillet. Tuna back meat—nakaochi. A perfectly clean cut. The meat is scraped from the bones with a spoon. The *nakaochi* is rich and has a creamy texture. Freshly filleted *nakaochi* is absolutely delicious. “You don’t often get the chance to eat tuna that’s just been cut.” “But here, you can.” JKT: “It hasn’t even been exposed to air for long, right?” What a luxury. She let me have a taste. It was insanely good! Thank you so much! “Since it’s such a big fish,
people think it takes a lot of strength.” “You only need strength for a split second!” JKT: “So it’s all about technique, huh?” “Exactly!” “We do our buying at Toyosu Market.” “Then we bring everything back here.” “What’s great about this place is—” “Even regular folks can shop here, not just the pros!” Her tuna skills were flawless—absolutely brilliant. 4:00 a.m. – Heading to Toyosu Market. We’ve arrived. She heads out with the manager
and another team member to buy fish. Japan’s top tuna market—its scale is on another level. Every morning starts with this fish buying trip. Fresh seafood lines every stall. Good instincts are essential for making smart purchases. Deep knowledge of all kinds of fish is a must. Everything seems to be going smoothly today. Good morning! This is Kitani Suisan, Toyosu location. From the early hours, fish are being filleted nonstop. “Why’d you cut your hair?” “Because it’s cute!” “Did something happen?” “Because it’s summer! That’s all!” “That’s it?” “Just like this.” “They’re such a fun bunch, aren’t they?” Good morning! Good morning! Ankimo — monkfish liver. So jiggly! Kamenote — goose barnacle. Rina’s cheerful voice echoes through the market. The buying process keeps moving along. Yes! Thank you so much! Everything went off without a hitch. The tuna is loaded onto the truck. On the way back to Tsukiji, it’s time for breakfast. I had the pleasure of joining them. The store manager, Mr. Miyashita,
is like a big brother to everyone. We’ve arrived back in Tsukiji. The tuna is being brought in. This tuna weighs 130 kilograms. The head is cut off on the spot. Then it’s brought inside the store. The head is carefully filleted. Her knife work is quick and precise. Hardly any meat is left behind—each cut is clean. JKT: “Wow, it’s so jiggly!” “Jiggly!” “Cheek meat! Looks so good!” The eyeball is cut off. Now for the other side. Now moving on to the top of the head. “There it is!” “Nōten!” “Everyone wants this part.” This is a rare cut from the tuna’s head—nōten. Even in a giant tuna, there’s only a tiny bit of it—
sushi chefs often fight over this prized cut. Next, the innermost part is removed. This part is also soft and rich in flavor. The dismantled tuna is then portioned inside the shop. Be sure to watch Mr. Miyashita’s knife work too. It’s divided by cut and section. A wide variety of fish are displayed in front. And of course, you can buy them on the spot. Gizzard shad—kohada. Kohada typically grows to about 8–10 centimeters. It has a moist texture, a subtle sweetness,
and a unique aroma. Kohada is also one of Rina’s favorite fish. Rina also sells fish at the front of the shop. Making customers smile is part of her job too. She’s now in her 7th year as a professional at Tsukiji. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. “I really wanted to learn at Japan’s best fish market.” “So I just started calling every place that was hiring.” “But everyone turned me down.” “Some didn’t even let me finish my sentence.” “They’d say, ‘You’re a girl, right?’” “It’s tough for girls in this line of work.” “People kept telling me it’s too hard—I should give up.” “I felt like no one would even give me a chance.” Just when she was about to give up, fate stepped in. “I kept calling and I found someone
who was willing to listen to me.” “Mr. Taro, the manager.” “He said, ‘If you’re serious, why not come by and try?’” “And I was like, ‘Yes! When can I come?’” “That was… May 25th, I think.” “Somewhere around then.” “And that very day, I said, ‘I want to work here!’” “Right then and there, I said it.” “Like, ‘Please let me work here!’” “And he goes, ‘Well, if you’re that serious, then sure.’” “When she first came in…” “We weren’t sure how she’d do, honestly.” “But she really gave it her all.” “Now, she’s become the real face of the shop.” “In the beginning, ” “She’d often cry while working.” “‘I just can’t do it right,’ she’d say…” “She’s always cheerful, no matter what.” “Really bubbly and positive.” “She treats every customer with the same kindness.” “She’s an amazing senior—we all look up to her.” Rina : “Wait, what?” Rina：“You’re not talking bad about me, are you?” “I’m totally praising you!” Rina is endlessly positive and upbeat. Her lively voice echoed throughout the market. The shop was bustling again that day. 5:00 p.m. We’ve come to one of Rina’s favorite places. A stylish hostess welcomes us in. “Hold on a sec.” “Let’s add some lemon.” Shochu with a fresh squeeze of lemon. Their first meeting happened
when the hostess came to the market to shop. “I used to buy kohada all the time.” “She seemed like such a nice girl, so I asked,
‘What’s your name?’” “She said, ‘I’m Rina,’ and I said, ‘Oh, okay.’” “Then I asked, ‘Where do you live?’
She said, ‘Monzen-Nakacho.’” “No way!” “So I told her,
‘Why don’t you come over for dinner sometime?’” “Yes! I’ll go today!” she said. Rina absolutely adores her. She often turns to her for advice. “What are you cooking? Smells amazing!” A little moment of relaxation in her busy days. Another long day, well done. The next morning. A huge tuna is being prepped. “I’ll post it on Instagram.” You can find Rina’s Instagram link in the video description. Feel free to follow her! Smooth saw work in action. She lops the head off in no time. A true craftsman’s skill. “The first time I got to hold it…” “I was so nervous—my heart was pounding.” “But I thought, I might never get a chance like this again.” “So I decided to go for it.” She ruined a lot of tuna in the time it took to improve. It was the people around her who kept her going,
even when she failed. “They’d say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sell it anyway.’” “They told me, ‘You won’t learn if you don’t try.’” “We’ll take care of the selling—just focus on learning.” “They told me, ‘Just keep trying your best.’” Days of failure, again and again. She started feeling sorry even for the tuna
she couldn’t cut right. “I only got better because I was allowed to keep failing.” “That’s why I can do it now.” “It’s only because I was given the chance to try.” “Now that I can do it, I want to give back.” “I truly feel that way.” Two people work together to carve the fish. “Alright! Taro, you’re up!” “Nailed it!” Using a long blade, they continue to make clean cuts. A perfectly clean cross-section. A true example of craftsmanship. Now they cut from the opposite side. JKT: “There are two kinds of knives?” “This one here has a super flexible blade.” “Really soft, actually.” “And the reason it’s soft is…” “It fits perfectly along the tuna’s bones.” “That way, we can trim the meat cleanly without waste.” “I heard these are only used in Toyosu and Tsukiji.” “It takes two people to handle this long, distinctive one.” “It’s used to cut through bones…” “…or slice through the skin,
so it’s thick and really sturdy.” “It used to be much thicker and longer.” “But it’s gotten much lighter with use.” Miyashita, the head chef, sharpens his focus. His presence is razor-sharp, leaving no room for error. The crowd starts to gather quickly. The nakaochi (tuna scraps) sell out instantly. “Where are you from?” “From Malaysia.” “Malaysia? Welcome!” “Malaysia? All of you?” “Welcome, welcome!” “Let’s try!” “So so fresh tuna!” “Today’s morning auction tuna.” Fresh tuna that’s never been frozen. “It’s absolutely the best.” They boldly chop the tuna into chunks. You can take it home—or eat it fresh right here. It all looks absolutely delicious. The most popular item is the maguro-don (tuna bowl). This one’s the medium-fatty tuna bowl—chūtoro-don. “Yes! Thank you!” “Thank you so much! Arigatou!” The bowls keep flying off the counter. “It really makes me happy
when my own customers come to see me.” “When people say, ‘If it’s tuna, it’s gotta be here.’” “Being the one they picture
when they think of a tuna shop…” “That makes me really happy.” “At our shop, we usually do tuna cutting
about every other day.” “If the tuna’s small, we do it every day.” “Otherwise, it’s every other day.” JKT: “So today’s customers are…” “Lucky!” “Super lucky, actually!” I ordered a tuna bowl too. “It looks amazing! I’m so excited.” That looks seriously good. So rich and fatty! It melted in my mouth—absolutely incredible. One more half of a tuna is being cut today. Customers begin gathering around again. “A girl can’t do that.” But Rina, who was once told that… …now captivates many with her hard-earned skills. “At first, I felt terrible for wasting so much tuna.” “But that’s what helped me get to where I am today.” “Now I finally feel like I can really do this.” “I know I can do even better from here.” “I think I can now give back to everyone.” A high-energy, three-person tuna breakdown. Customers couldn’t take their eyes off it. “Enjoy Japan! Thank you!” “Arigatou!” “I hope this shows that women can shine in this field.” “And maybe I can help open that door a little wider.” “I’d never even touched a fish before, honestly.” “I didn’t grow up fishing or in a fish shop or anything.” “I want to show that because I was able to do it,
anyone can do it.” ”If there’s anyone who wants to try.” Do what you love—it’s your life. “And you should say it out loud.” “Whatever it is!” Her endlessly positive spirit was truly inspiring. “I’m here because I want to cut tuna!” “I have to sell a lot before I can cut it!” “If I sell enough, I get to cut the next one!” The rest of the day was a huge success,
packed with happy customers. Thank you, Rina!
Please keep smiling and enjoying each day!

[Kitani Fisheries Google Maps]
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hYRUjNMyEfLHjxK27

[Tunapuri Official Instagram]
https://www.instagram.com/tunaprincessrina/

Rina once worked as a fashion designer in Niigata.
At 25, she made a bold decision—leaving her old career behind and moving to Tokyo to pursue a new dream: mastering the art of tuna cutting.
Today, she works in one of Japan’s most respected fish markets, breaking down giant tuna with incredible skill and precision.
This is the true story of Japan’s Tuna Princess—her struggles, her determination, and the stunning craft behind every slice.
Watch until the end to witness a powerful journey and the breathtaking beauty of tuna, treated like a gem.

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