{"id":735,"date":"2024-12-15T23:11:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T15:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/toyosu-is-the-new-tsukiji-exploring-tokyos-morning-market\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:07","slug":"toyosu-is-the-new-tsukiji-exploring-tokyos-morning-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=735","title":{"rendered":"Toyosu is the new Tsukiji: exploring Tokyo’s morning market"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After more than 80 years at Tsukiji, Tokyo\u2019s wholesale market \u2013 famous for its tuna auction, exotic fish and breakfast sushi \u2013 moved to a new, purpose-built location in Toyosu in 2018. It\u2019s not a perfect stand-in for the iconic former site, but it has its upsides, including shorter queues and bookable slots for the auction. Here\u2019s what to expect and how to get the most out of your visit.<\/p>\n

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Huge frozen tuna are sold at Toyosu market \u2013 the early-morning auction can be viewed by visitors \u00a9 Kazuhiro Nogi \/ AFTP \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seeing the Tuna Auction<\/h3>\n

As long as anyone can remember, the big attraction at the wholesale market has been the early-morning tuna auction. This is when the naka-oroshi<\/em> (intermediate wholesalers) bid on fabulously expensive bluefin tuna, amid a frenzy of shouts, hand gestures and bells. It\u2019s a fantastic gamble: the most prized fish have the highest fat content, but while the naka-oroshi<\/em> can examine a cross section of the tail, the fish aren\u2019t otherwise cut until after they\u2019re sold, giving them little to go on to make their bets.<\/p>\n

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\"Naka-oroshi
Naka-oroshi examine the fish at Toyosu’s tuna auction \u00a9 Rebecca Milner \/ Lonely Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of this is visible from a sealed, glass-walled corridor above the market floor. At Tsukiji, 120 visitors per day were allowed on to the market floor to witness the auction. At Toyosu nobody is allowed on the floor, but 120 people are allowed onto a platform, which is only partially sealed \u2013 from here you can get a closer look and hear the hubbub of the auction. (But you\u2019ll still be taking pictures through glass.) There\u2019s no need to queue up hours in advance to secure a spot, as was the case at Tsukiji \u2013 application is by lottery. From 5.30am, groups of 30 will be given 10 minutes each to get up close to the glass, so there\u2019s no need to even worry about being first to arrive.<\/p>\n

The tuna auction is held in the Fish Wholesale Market in block 7; follow signs for the Fish Wholesale Market Observation Gallery. From 5am, when the market opens to visitors, you can see the naka-oroshi<\/em> inspecting the tuna (they start around 4am). The auctions get going around 5am and finish by 6am or 6.30am; afterwards there\u2019s nothing to see, so come early.<\/p>\n

Note that Japan is the world\u2019s largest consumer of bluefin tuna, a prestige fish most famously eaten as sushi. Its popularity has led to dwindling numbers; the World Wildlife Foundation currently lists Atlantic, Pacific and Southern bluefin tuna as endangered. International commissions have set fishing caps to help bring numbers up to sustainable levels, but illegal fishing continues. Most of the tuna sold at Toyosu \u2013 which comes from all over the world \u2013 is wild-caught and flash-frozen, though you\u2019ll increasingly see fresh fish as well, some it farm-raised.<\/p>\n

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Toyosu’s Fruit & Vegetable Market takes place from 6.30am \u00a9 Rebecca Milner \/ Lonely Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fruit & Vegetable Market<\/h3>\n

Visitors can also check out the Fruit & Vegetable Market, in block 6. The wholesale and the intermediate wholesale markets are in the same building, visible from above via a similarly sealed glass corridor on the second floor. Walk all the way down to the end to see the wholesale market, where somewhat less intense auctions for fruit and vegetables take place from 6.30am (lasting about an hour). There\u2019s no special access here.<\/p>\n

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Toyosu’s wholesale fish market is lined with an array of fish \u00a9 Rebecca Milner \/ Lonely Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market<\/h3>\n

This collection of several hundred stalls in block 5 is where the naka-oroshi<\/em> take their hard-won goods to sell to chefs and fishmongers. It was a highlight at Tsukiji, where all manner of sea creatures where displayed on ice for the eyes of professional shoppers, but in Toyosu visitors can only get us far as the observation gallery, where visibility is limited. Chock this one up as loss for travellers, but a win for market workers, who grumbled about tourists getting in the way. This part of the market sees action until around 10am.<\/p>\n

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Sushi from Sushi Dai, our top choice at Toyosu Market \u00a9 Reggie Ho \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eating at the market<\/h3>\n

The tradition of following a tour of the market with sushi breakfast is still very much possible at Toyosu. Several of Tsukiji\u2019s restaurants, which first opened to feed market workers but became gourmet destinations for Tokyoites and travellers alike, made the move to Toyosu. Among them are Sushi Dai, our top choice, and Daiwa Sushi. Both, and especially Sushi Dai, were famous for drawing long lines, but so far the waits are not as bad at the new market.<\/p>\n

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Like everything at Toyosu, the restaurants have that new feel, and are comparatively spacious and well-lit. The atmosphere is more like \u2018mall food court\u2019 than local market, but the food is still top class, with ingredients picked up directly from the stalls here. There are also shops that sell things other than sushi, like Mosuke Dango, a traditional sweets shop that\u2019s now survived two market moves \u2013 it dates to the pre-Tsukiji market in Nihombashi.<\/p>\n

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Toyosu Market doesn’t have the same atmosphere as the former Tsukiji Market, but there’s great food on offer \u00a9 Rebecca Milner \/ Lonely Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Navigating the Market<\/h3>\n

The blocks are connected by outdoor promenades, which are also connected to the nearest train station, Shij\u014d-mae (on the Yurikamome line). Everything is signposted in English, so getting around is pretty easy. The market is rather spread out, so if you plan to see a lot expect to travel a fair distance; however, it\u2019s level and largely accessible. Visitors who require it can use an elevator to get to the lower level tuna auction viewing platform.<\/p>\n

There are two main clusters of restaurants: one in block 7, at the entrance to the Fish Wholesale Market, and one in block 5, at the entrance to the Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market. The latter, where Sushi Dai is located, is where you\u2019re most likely to rub shoulders with sushi chefs and other professional buyers (look for the telltale rubber boots and wicker shopping baskets).<\/p>\n

On the 4th floor of block 5 there are some shops open to the public selling dry goods, like katsuo-bushi<\/em> (dried bonito flakes, used in making broth) and tea, and kitchen supplies.<\/p>\n

Top tips<\/h3>\n