Ever since the Tsukiji inner market (the wholesale area where professional buyers traded seafood) moved to Toyosu in 2018, travelers worldwide have been passing around the mistaken idea that “Tsukiji is closed.”
Tsukiji Outer Market, the shopping streets that grew up around the old wholesale site, still has more than 400 specialty shops in business. From early morning, the area fills with queues and the calls of shopkeepers. Toyosu Market, for its part, offers something Tsukiji cannot: the tuna auction (seri, where buyers bid against each other for each fish), which is visible only in the early hours.
Which market suits you depends on what you want from your morning: grazing your way through market food, watching the auction, the hours you can realistically manage, or visiting with children in tow. The comparison below puts the two side by side on each of these points.
The Verdict: Choose Between Tsukiji and Toyosu by What You Want to Do There
Which of the two fits you depends on your purpose, because the 2018 move split the market’s two functions apart: buying and eating stayed at Tsukiji, while wholesale trading moved to Toyosu.
The choice comes down to two main purposes: tasting your way through market food or watching the tuna auction. Whichever you choose affects both your wake-up time and the route from your hotel, so decide before building your itinerary.
For Tasting Your Way Through Market Food, Choose Tsukiji Outer Market
Tsukiji has not closed for good: what moved to Toyosu in 2018 was only the wholesale market itself, the facility where professional traders buy and sell seafood. Tsukiji Outer Market still has more than 400 specialty shops standing side by side, with grilling smoke and shopkeepers’ calls filling the narrow lanes, much as they did before the move.
Three things in particular make Tsukiji Outer Market well suited to eating your way around.
- No reservations or advance applications: You can decide on the morning itself, walk straight over, and visit whichever shops catch your eye
- A wide range of genres: Sushi, kaisendon (sashimi served over a bowl of rice), tamagoyaki (Japanese-style egg seasoned with dashi broth and cooked in layers), grilled tuna skewers, and more. Several shops specialize in each genre, giving you options to compare flavors and prices
- An early start: Many shops open early in the morning, with the busiest stretch roughly from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Tsukiji Outer Market does not allow eating while walking. Instead, enjoy what you buy at the standing counters in front of the shops or in each shop’s eat-in space, the seating area set aside inside the store.
Shops in the outer market also tend to close on the non-trading days of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market. In addition to Sundays and public holidays, two to four Wednesdays a month are closed, so checking the business calendar on the official site before you go can save you a wasted trip.
If you would rather explore Tsukiji Outer Market with a guide, English-guided food tours are also available. Some take you through the market while explaining its food culture, while others focus on tasting several items such as sushi, wagyu (premium Japanese beef), and tamagoyaki. You can choose based on the type of experience you want.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
For the Tuna Auction, Choose Toyosu Market
The tuna auction takes place only at Toyosu Market, roughly from 5:30 to 6:30 am on trading days. Frozen tuna, with their tails cut away, cover the auction floor. Intermediate wholesalers (the specialists who buy from the primary traders and resell to retailers and restaurants) bid against one another using hand signals and shouted calls. The scene lasts for only about 40 minutes.
Two viewing routes are available.
- Lottery-based observation deck: Only visitors who apply in advance and win a place can enter. Viewing is available from 5:45 to 6:25 am, from a spot right beside the auction floor with a close view down onto the bidding
- Second-floor observation passage: No booking is required. Open to anyone from 5:00 am, it offers a view of the entire auction floor through glass
The second-floor passage does limit what you can see. Through the glass, the frozen tuna auction is the main focus; because of the passage’s position, the trading of fresh tuna is harder to make out.
The glass does not shut out the sound. During auction hours, speakers carry the sales floor live into the passage, including the bell signaling the start and the distinctive sing-song calls of the bidders, so you can still get a strong sense of the atmosphere.
Even if you do not win a place in the lottery, the passage is open on the day itself. If your schedule allows an early start, it is an alternative way to see the auction. The questions further down cover how to apply for the lottery and when applications close.
Three Points That Decide Tsukiji vs Toyosu
Two questions come up more than any others before a market visit: do you need to arrange anything in advance, and what time should you arrive?
The two markets differ in whether advance procedures are required, the best time to arrive, and how you eat once you are there. These three points determine when you need to leave your hotel and what you need to bring.
1. Whether Advance Procedures Apply
Assuming you can turn up at the Toyosu auction observation deck on a whim is a good way to be turned away at the door. The deck operates entirely by lottery. Applications open for only about a week in the first part of the preceding month, so to view the auction in April, for example, you need to apply online between March 4 and 10.
Winners also need to confirm the meeting point and bring valid photo identification. On the day, the meeting time is 5:30 am at the PR Corner on the third floor of the Management Facility Building in Block 7 of Toyosu Market. Everyone in your party must show photo identification, so keep your passport with you rather than leaving it at your accommodation. Identification is checked for every member of the group, not just the representative.
Tsukiji Outer Market, by contrast, requires no reservation or lottery. You can simply walk in, shop, and eat during opening hours.
- Toyosu auction observation deck: Online application in the first part of the preceding month, followed by a lottery; only winners can enter
- Tsukiji Outer Market: No advance procedures; entry is available during opening hours
If your dates are not fixed until the last minute, or you want to drop in during a gap on a business trip, Tsukiji Outer Market requires no advance arrangements and is easier to fit into a flexible schedule.
2. When to Arrive
The two markets operate on completely different schedules, and getting your arrival time wrong can leave you standing in front of shuttered shops.
At Tsukiji Outer Market, roughly 9:00 am–2:00 pm is the easiest window for general visitors. Before 9:00 am, restaurants and fish dealers give priority to professional buyers, and handcarts moving through the lanes can make leisurely browsing difficult. After 2:00 pm, more and more shops begin to pull down their shutters, so the morning is the time to aim for.
Toyosu Market runs on an even earlier schedule. The auction observation deck is limited to 5:45–6:25 am, while the observation passage, which requires no booking, is open from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm. Restaurants inside the market finish service around 2:00 pm, so arrive in the morning if a meal is part of your plan.
Another point that catches visitors out is the non-trading days mentioned earlier, when both markets close on the same dates. Check the official calendar of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market before you set out.
3. How You Eat
Tsukiji and Toyosu offer two quite different ways of eating.
At Tsukiji Outer Market, you can buy small portions at several shops and compare as you go. Freshly grilled tamagoyaki on a skewer, seafood seared over charcoal, sea urchin served in a small box—you can try one item at a time, and sharing with a companion lets you sample several shops in a single visit. Many shops still accept cash only, so withdrawing yen from an ATM beforehand can save you trouble at the register.
At Toyosu Market, the restaurants are concentrated on the third floor of the Management Facility Building, and you eat seated throughout. You can take your time over sushi or kaisendon, but the market does not permit eating in the observation passage or on the benches, so you cannot simply buy something and eat it on the spot. Many shops accept cards, which can be convenient if you prefer not to carry cash.
If you would still like to eat while walking around Toyosu, consider Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai, the commercial complex next to the market. Its streets recreate an Edo-period (17th–19th century) townscape and are lined with restaurants and food stalls aimed at visitors, offering a more casual way to sample food similar to the experience at Tsukiji.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
When in Doubt, Choose Tsukiji: A Guided Tour Takes the Guesswork Out of Ordering
A first visit to Tsukiji Outer Market can leave you unsure which shops to enter or wary of ordering where there is no English menu. On a guided tour, the guide takes care of the shop selection, ordering, and route.
The section below outlines the tour content and meeting point. A guided tour also lets you cover the market’s food highlights efficiently when time is limited.
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
An English-speaking guide leads you from one eatery to the next, so you never have to decide which shop to visit or figure out how to order. The guide handles everything from explaining how the queues work to telling you when to pay in cash, making it easier to step into long-established shops that travelers might otherwise hesitate to enter.
The roughly 90-minute course includes seven items: sushi (or kaisendon), a wagyu skewer, menchi katsu (minced meat coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried), tamagoyaki, grilled eel, shumai (minced pork wrapped in a thin skin and steamed), and strawberries. The tour also includes a wasabi tasting, giving you a chance to experience firsthand how the heat and aroma vary by origin and freshness.
Details
| Meeting point | Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple (3-15-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) |
| Duration | About 90 minutes |
| Included in the price | English-speaking guide; seven items comprising sushi or a kaisendon, wagyu skewer, menchi katsu, tamagoyaki, grilled eel, shumai, and strawberries; wasabi tasting |
| Booking site | https://japanguidestar.com/tour/tsukiji-fish-market-street-food-tour-with-tasting/ |
| Suited to | Travelers who want to sample several Tsukiji specialties efficiently, and those who would rather explore the market with an English-speaking guide |
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
Comparison Table: Tsukiji Outer Market and Toyosu Market at a Glance
The table below compares the two markets across three factors that directly affect your itinerary: whether you need to book in advance, whether you need an early start, and how each market works for visits with children.
| Deciding Factor | Tsukiji Outer Market | Toyosu Market |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | Not required | Auction viewing by advance lottery; applications close about a month ahead |
| Early start | 9:00 am–2:00 pm for general visitors; open from around 7:00 am if breakfast is the goal | Auction viewing 5:45–6:25 am; from 6:00 am if you are only eating |
| With children | Narrow lanes make strollers hard to manage when crowded | Indoor and air-conditioned, easy to move through with a stroller |
Toyosu auction viewing requires a lottery application through the official site, and the application window lasts only about a week. The market does not publish the odds, and with a limited number of places available for each session, a spot is not guaranteed.
Tsukiji Outer Market requires no booking. Several hundred fish dealers, dried-goods shops, kitchenware stores, and restaurants line the market, so alongside tamagoyaki or kaisendon in a lively open-air setting, you can also pick up knives, lacquerware, and other distinctly Japanese souvenirs on the spot.
Toyosu Market, by contrast, has about 39 indoor tenants where you can sit down to eat in air-conditioned comfort. The indoor setting works well in midsummer, midwinter, or rainy weather, and can be reassuring when visiting with small children or older family members.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
Common Questions About Visiting Tsukiji and Toyosu
Once you start planning a market visit, small questions quickly pile up. The four answers below cover whether the auction still takes place at Tsukiji, how to apply for the Toyosu lottery, whether you can fit both markets into one day, and what to keep in mind when visiting with children.
Can You Still See the Tuna Auction at Tsukiji?
No, Tsukiji no longer holds the tuna auction. In October 2018 all wholesale market functions moved to Toyosu Market, which now hosts the auction.
Taking “Tsukiji has closed” to mean “there is no reason to go” is a misunderstanding, though: Tsukiji Outer Market is still in business, welcoming many travelers as a shopping street for eating and buying. Toyosu for the auction, Tsukiji Outer Market for the food.
How Do You Apply for the Toyosu Auction Viewing Lottery?
Applications go through the dedicated Tuna Auction Viewing Advance Lottery page of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market. The market allocates places by lottery rather than first come, first served, so as long as you enter within the application window, the timing of your entry makes no difference.
The window opens for about a week in the month before your visit, and one representative applies online for a group of up to five people. The market emails the results roughly one to two weeks after applications close, and participation is free. If you are selected, gather at the PR Corner on the third floor of the Management Facility Building in Block 7 of Toyosu Market by 5:30 am on your viewing date, for about 40 minutes of viewing, 5:45–6:25 am.
The dining area inside the market opens from around 6 am, so having breakfast straight afterward is the efficient move.
Can You Visit Both Tsukiji and Toyosu in One Day?
Yes, visiting both is entirely possible. The keys are the order, Toyosu first and Tsukiji second, and concentrating everything in the morning.
Toyosu auction viewing ends at 6:25 am, so having breakfast in the market and setting off around 8 am makes for an unhurried pace. For the journey, the Toei Bus route Shi-01 (part of Tokyo’s municipal bus network) is convenient, running from the Toyosu Shijo stop to Tsukiji 6-chome in about 14 minutes.
Tsukiji Outer Market caters to general visitors from 9 am to 2 pm, but popular sushi restaurants draw queues before they open, so arriving around 8:30 am is ideal. More shops at Tsukiji Outer Market close after 2 pm, and the dining area at Toyosu Market also finishes service in the early afternoon, so building your plan around the morning at both markets makes the day easier to manage.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Tsukiji Fish Market Food & Walking Tour with 7 Gourmet Bites
Are the Markets Enjoyable with Children?
Both markets work well with children, though the layouts differ and so does the preparation involved.
Tsukiji Outer Market has narrow lanes, and bringing a stroller in at busy times leaves you with little room to move, so stop first at the market’s general information center, Platto Tsukiji, which can advise on leaving a stroller. Traders’ bicycles and scooters also pass through the lanes, so keep hold of your child’s hand.
Toyosu Market auction viewing has no age restriction, and babies under one year old may take part. Infants count toward the total, so families of more than five people need to plan their applications accordingly. For meals, the food court on the third floor of Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai is convenient, with a cushion-floored kids’ corner, picture books, high chairs, and diaper-changing facilities.
At Tsukiji Outer Market there is plenty of food you can eat with one hand, such as grilled skewers and tamagoyaki, so children can choose and eat something for themselves.
Pick the Market That Matches Your Morning
Tsukiji Outer Market for eating your way around, Toyosu Market for watching the tuna auction: let your purpose decide. Whichever you choose, check the non-trading day calendar before you go.
If you want to see both, one option is to watch the auction at Toyosu Market in the early morning and then move on to Tsukiji Outer Market. Cover both markets in the morning and your afternoon stays free for something else.
If a first visit to Tsukiji leaves you uneasy about choosing shops and ordering, an English-guided food tour can take you around the well-known places within the time you have.
If you would like to explore more of Japan’s food beyond the markets, take a look at the Japan Guide Star food tour lineup as well.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
