Toyosu Fish Market and Tuna Auction Tours: Includes Self-Guided Information

Tokyo’s new Toyosu Fish Market and tuna auction is now open after its move from Tsukiji. Visiting the world’s biggest seafood market and its high-quality sushi restaurants is high on the list for food-lovers.

Find out how to take a Toyosu Fish Market tour and information about how to visit. Let’s dive straight in!

Best Toyosu Fish Market Tours and Tuna Auction

I’ve hand-picked the best Toyosu Fish Market and tuna auction tours with specialist, English-speaking guides.

Private Tuna Auction and Toyosu Market Tour

Experience the excitement and energy of Tokyo’s famous tuna auction at its new home. After, take a tour of Toyosu Market and get a unique insight into Japan’s seafood culture.

Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience on this highly-rated tour.

• Watch the whole tuna auction from the tuna inspection through to the sales
• Learn about the tuna auction from a broker with 20 years experience
• Explore Toyosu’s fish and vegetable markets, shops and restaurants with a professional guide
• Discover how the market operates, its produce and Japanese food etiquette
• Recommendation for the freshest and tastiest sushi restaurant in Toyosu Market
• Includes Toyosu Market and tuna auction tour, and hotel pick-up
• Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience
• Location: Toyosu Market with hotel pick-up
• Duration and start time: 3.5 hours, 4.30 am

Toyosu Market & Tuna Auction Tour >>

Private Toyosu Tuna Auction Tour in English

Discover Tokyo’s famous tuna auction with a highly-acclaimed and experienced English-speaking guide. Understand step-by-step what’s going on from inspecting the tuna to the sales.

Take a tour with Kiyoshi, a veteran tuna auction guide.

• Experience the tuna auction with expert commentary
• Observe the brokers inspect the fish for quality
• Witness the frantic pace and energy of the tuna auction
• Learn about the history of the tuna auction and the wholesale fish market
• Recommendation for an excellent sushi breakfast
• Includes Toyosu Market tuna auction
• Duration and start time: 2.5 hours, 4.30am

Private Tuna Auction Tour >>

Tsukiji (Old) Market and Toyosu (New) Market Food Tour

Food-lovers will love this food tour at Tokyo’s new and old markets. Full of contrast, it’s the perfect way to experience Tokyo’s seafood culture like a local.

Get the best of all world’s with a full stomach on this walking tour of Toyosu and Tsukiji Market.

• Explore Toyosu – the world’s biggest seafood market
• Learn about both markets and their cultural importance to Tokyo
• Wander the vibrant seafood stalls of Tsukiji’s outer market – where Michelin chefs and locals shop
• See a diverse array of seafood like you’ve never seen before
• Taste fresh tuna/oyster, fish cakes, Japanese-style omelettes, tea and more along the way
• Savour an excellent sushi lunch with sake tasting
• Duration: 3.5 hours

Toyosu & Tsukiji Markets Food Tour >>

Compare prices of this tour from Cookly and Viator.

Toyosu Market Tour with Optional Tsukiji Market

Enjoy a relaxed tour of Toyosu Market with Kiyoshi – a highly-regarded and experienced guide with over 250 positive reviews. A comprehensive tour of Tokyo’s new seafood market, not to be missed.

Include a tour of Tsukiji’s old outer market for the full Tokyo seafood experience.

• Explore Toyosu Fish Market with a Japanese food and drink expert
• Learn about Tokyo’s food culture and why the market moved to Toyosu
• Visit Toyosu’s seafood and fruit and vegetable market
• Relax over breakfast or coffee and tap into Kiyoshi’s wealth of knowledge
• Sushi restaurant recommendation
• Opportunity for shopping or eating more seafood
• Optional add-on: Discover the old market at Tsukiji
• Duration: 4 hours

Toyosu Market & Tsukiji Tour >>

Of course, taking a tour is one option, but you can go by yourself. Find out everything you need to know about visiting the Toyosu Fish Market and tuna auction.

Toyosu Market Guide: Quick Links

• Best Toyosu Fish Market Tours with Tuna Auction
• Toyosu Market: What to Expect
• Highlights: What to See and Do
• 2019/2020 Calendar and Opening Hours
• Places to Stay near Toyosu Market

Toyosu Market: What to Expect

Toyosu Market opens its doors to the public 13 October and offers a much different experience than the old market at Tsukiji. While you can’t get so close to the action, you’ll get a birds-eye view of the market.

The market consists of three main buildings: one for the tuna and seafood auction, one for the wholesale seafood and fish market, and one for the fruit and vegetables market and sale. The buildings are connected by a public access walkway and observation galleries one floor above the market level.

To access Toyosu Market and the walkways just head to Shijo-mae station and everything is signposted from there.

As well as the tuna auction and markets, visitors can enjoy eating at around 40 restaurants, shopping for kitchen and cooking utensils, panoramic views of Tokyo, and multi-lingual information boards around the site.

How much does it cost?

Admission to Toyosu Market is free, which gives you access to the viewing galleries, including the famous tuna auction. Visitors to Japan will no doubt find Japanese hospitality a refreshing change!

That said if you want to understand what’s going on at the market, have a passion for Japanese food and would like to gain a more in-depth knowledge of Japanese culture, it’s worth investing in an experienced guide. Find out what’s available with our Toyosu Fish Market and tuna auction tours.

Toyosu Marke Highlights: What to See and Do

Toyosu Market has been built with both the market and tourists in mind, here are six highlights for your visit:

• Tuna auction
• Fish market
• Restaurants
• Shopping
• Rooftop garden
• Fruit and vegetable market and auction

Toyosu Market tuna auction

Tokyo’s world-famous tuna auction is already underway at Toyosu Market with a 214kg tuna fetching ¥4.28 million ($38,100) on the first day! Toyosu Market’s tuna auction occupies one big floor, as opposed to Tsukiji’s which had three smaller rooms.

Watching Tokyo’s world-famous tuna auction is a unique spectacle unmated anywhere in the world. You’ll see buyers’ inspect the tuna and hustling brokers’ before the frantic activity as the auction kicks-off.

How to visit Toyosu Market tuna auction

From 15 October, you can watch the tuna auction from an observation gallery one floor above the auction floor. Unlike Tsukiji where you got up close to the action (and tuna!), the elevated view at Toyosu gives you a clearer picture of how it all works.

From Shijo-mae Station, follow the signs to the ‘Fish Wholesale Market Observation Gallery’ which is where the tuna auction is held. Along the 400m walkway, you’ll also pass some information boards and restaurants.

The first stop from the station is an information area with multi-lingual boards. From there you’ll pass some shops before entering another area with more information and exhibit showing the largest ever bluefin tuna sold at Tsukiji, weighing nearly 500kg!

Continue on until you reach the tuna viewing gallery which is one floor above the tuna auction floor. Around the observation area, you’ll find information (in English and Japanese) which explain the hand-signs used by the buyers’ during the auction.

Looking down on the auction floor is an ideal viewpoint to see the scale of how much tuna is being sold, and how the various workers (auctioneers, buyers’, brokers’, clerks’ etc.) interact.

The double-glazed windows are not ideal for photography, so you’ll have to move around to find the best shots. But it does give you protection on the gallery from the chilly temperatures on the auction floor.

What time does the tuna auction start?

The tuna auction starts between 4.30-5.30am; but, you definitely should get in place at 4.30am. Before the auction starts, there’s plenty of activity to see including the buyers’ inspecting the tuna. The auction lasts for around one hour.

There’s no limit on how many people can watch the tuna auction, but you do need to get up early and find a good spot. Check out our list of hotels near Toyosu Market to make that very early alarm call that much easier!

Visiting Tokyo’s world-famous tuna auction is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and not to be missed. Taking a Toyosu tuna auction tour is something to consider, to find out how it works and it’s cultural context in Japan.

Visiting the tuna auction in 2019/2020

From 15 January 2019, you’ll be able to get closer to the action via a small observation floor which sits a few metres above the tuna auction floor. From here, you’ll experience the sights, sounds and smells of the auction, and take better photos through a single-pane of glass.

It’s not been announced yet, how you can access this area, and an online registration process is being considered.

Other seafood auctions

Further along the walkway, there’s another observation gallery where you can see other seafood being auctioned. While it’s not the big-ticket tuna event, it’s a welcome addition not available at Tsukiji.

And don’t think it will be less exciting, at the first auction at Toyosu Market, a box of sea-urchins sold for a record ¥200,000 ($1,780)!

Toyosu Fish Market

To get to the fish and seafood market from the auction area, follow the signs to the ‘Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market Observation Gallery’. Here’s where hundreds of wholesale shops process the seafood bought at the auctions.

Like the auction floors, you’re not able to access the wholesale fish market floor. From the level above, there are some observation windows, but viewing is limited. With no public access – unlike Tsukiji – you won’t be able to buy seafood from the fish market.

The major draw for most visitors to Tsukiji was fish market’s bewildering array of seafood and watching people at work. Gone are the day of seeing men slicing tuna with long sword-like knives.

Let’s hope in the future at Toyosu, visitors will be able to see demonstrations of the work at the wholesale fish market.

Restaurants

Around 40 restaurants are already open at Toyosu Market, so rest assured you’ll get to eat the freshest sushi you’ll ever find. As well as sushi, there’s also seafood bowl, pork, beef and chicken restaurants.

While some sushi restaurants migrated to Toyosu Market, most of the ones from Tsukiji’s now closed inner market are no more. For top-quality sushi, we recommend visiting Tsukiji’s outer market which has dozens of seafood restaurants and stalls.

There are a few areas with restaurants at Toyosu Market, and you’ll find stalls dotted all around the complex.

If you’re more into eating sushi and tasting Japan’s fantastic seafood, you’ll discover more with a professional guide. We recommend taking a combined tour of Toyosu Market and Tsukiji ‘s outer market or a tour of Tsukiji.

Shopping

Around 60 shops are already open at Toyosu Market selling a whole range of kitchenware and culinary utensils.

Top of the list for many people are ‘made in Japan’ kitchen knives and you’ll find plenty of them here. Prices can be eye-watering high, but you’ll also find some that won’t break the bank. Trust me, if you’re into cooking, Japanese kitchen knives are well worth the investment. Not only are they razor sharp they’ll also last for years.

Also, look out for decorative tableware – such as plates, bowls and chopsticks – at reasonable prices. And plenty of Japanese foods like nori (seaweed), wasabi, pickles and fermented products.

Rooftop garden

On the fifth floor, a roof-top garden offering stunning panoramic views of Tokyo’s skyline and waterfront area. As well as seeing the sights, it’s a relaxing place to hang out.

Fruit and vegetable market and auction

Finally, at the other end of the main walkway is the fruit and vegetable market and the auction building. While it doesn’t have the same allure as the seafood area, it has it’s own appeal, especially for foodies.

Again, you’ll be looking down on the fruit and vegetable area from one-level above. There are plenty of places for viewing, make sure you get there before 8am if you want to see the auctions.

Toyosu Market is visitor-friendly, and access for the public has been well thought out. While it’s easy to get around with some information about, foodies and people who want to know more should take a Toyosu fish market and tuna auction tour.

Toyosu Fish Market Calendar 2020 and Opening Hours

Toyosu Market’s opening hours are 5am to 5pm. Note: Toyosu Market is closed on Sundays, most Wednesdays and Japanese public holidays.

Check the 2020 Toyosu Fish Market calendar dates when planning your trip. The market is closed on dates marked in red.

May 2020

June 2020

July 2020

August 2020

September 2020

October 2020

November 2020

December 2020

Places to Stay near Toyosu Fish Market

Situated on Tokyo’s waterfront area, Toyosu Market currently has limited places to stay nearby.

Visitors to the tuna auction at 4.30am will have to stay somewhere close as there’s no public transport at that time.

Other early morning visitors should also stay somewhere nearby to avoid Tokyo’s hectic rush-hour. And being 3.3km from Tsukiji’s outer market, it’s an ideal base to visit both places.

Check out the best places to stay near Toyosu Market.

* Distance measured in walking distance to from the hotel to Shijo-mae Station where you can access Toyosu Market’s public walkways. Taxi journeys may be slightly nearer or further away

More Tokyo Food and Drink Experiences

Whether you take a Toyosu Fish Market tour or visit yourself have a wonderful time and don’t forget to set your alarm early for the tuna auction!

Discover more about Japan’s incredible seafood culture on a tour of Tsukiji. And for more gourmet things to do, check out all of my amazing food experiences in Tokyo.

Learn How to Make Sushi at Home

After eating all that fantastic sushi, I’m sure you’d like to start making it at home. For beginners up to professional chefs, check out my recommendations for the best sushi cookbooks. And for interactive live and pre-recorded lessons, check out my top online sushi cooking classes and courses.

Images: 武藏, Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (edit),