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.
Toyosu Tuna Auction and Market Tour with Tsukiji Outer Market
Discover Tokyo’s two most famous fish markets and see the legendary tuna auction. Learn about the history and contrast of both markets — Toyosu new and Tsukiji old.
Engage your five senses in Tokyo’s seafood market culture with a knowledgeable and experienced guide.
Enjoy Tokyo’s premier tuna auction from inspection to buying with commentary
- Visit Toyosu’s wholesale seafood, fruit and vegetables markets
- Explore Tsukiji Outer Market’s diverse food and retail outlets, including sushi and ramen restaurants, seafood and fruit and vegetable stalls, kitchenware and knife shops and more
- Observe the hustle and bustle and workings of the markets
- Savour a sushi breakfast with restaurant recommendations from your guide (food not included)
- Includes Toyosu Market tour and tuna auction, Tsukiji Market and a guided-walking tour with an accredited English-speaking guide
- Location: Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Market
- Duration and start time: 4 hours, 5.40am
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 of 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: 4.5 hours, 4.30 am
Toyosu Market Tour and Sushi-Making Experience
Explore Toyosu Market and make sushi with the freshest seafood and ingredients. Get exclusive access to Tokyo’s biggest fish market and become a sushi master for the day.
Immerse yourself in Japan’s seafood culture with this unforgettable combined experience.
- Discover Toyosu Market and parts off-limits with an insider guide
- Find out how the market operates and see where sushi chefs buy their seafood
- Uncover Japanese and Tokyo food culture
- Learn how to make sushi from an experienced sushi chef
- Savour the sushi you’ve created over lunch
- Includes insider tour of Toyosu Market and Japanese food culture, sushi-making workshop, sushi lunch and transportation
- Location: Toyosu Market and Yotsuya (Shinjuku)
- Duration and start time: 4.5 hours, 8.30am
Note: We’re working with our partners to get more Toyosu Market and tuna auction tours live on Food Tours Japan. Currently, the tours below are not available for booking.
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 of 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 worlds with a full stomach on this walking tour of Toyosu and Tsukiji Market.
- Explore Toyosu – the world’s biggest seafood market
- Learn about both needs 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. A comprehensive tour of Tokyo’s new seafood market is not to be missed.
Includes a tour of Tsukiji’s old outer market for the whole 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 alone. Discover everything you need to know about visiting the Toyosu Fish Market and the 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
- 2023 Calendar and Opening Hours
- Places to Stay near Toyosu Market
Toyosu Market: What to Expect
Toyosu Market 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, head to Shijo-mae station; 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!
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 Market 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, unlike Tsukiji’s, which had three smaller rooms.
Watching Tokyo’s world-famous tuna auction is a unique spectacle unmatched worldwide. You’ll see buyers inspect the tuna and hustling brokers’ before the frantic activity as the auction kicks off.
How to visit the 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 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’, 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 an exhibit showing the largest ever bluefin tuna sold at Tsukiji, weighing nearly 500kg!
Continue until you reach the tuna viewing gallery, 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 protects you from the gallery’s chilly temperatures on the auction floor.
What time does the tuna auction start?
The tuna auction starts between 4.30-5.30am, but you should get in place at 4.30am. Before the auction starts, there’s plenty of activity, 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 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 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 its cultural context in Japan.
Visiting the tuna auction in 2023
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.
You cannot access the wholesale fish market floor like the auction floors. There are some observation windows from the level above, 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 the 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 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 are also seafood bowls and 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.
You’ll discover more with a professional guide if you’re more into eating sushi and tasting Japan’s fantastic seafood. 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, Japanese kitchen knives are well worth the investment if you’re into cooking. Not only are they razor sharp they’ll also last for years.
Also, look 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.
Toyosu Market roof garden offers spectacular views of Tokyo Bay and skyline – image: Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market
Rooftop garden
On the fifth floor, a rooftop garden offers 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, the fruit and vegetable market and the auction building are at the other end of the main walkway. While it doesn’t have the same allure as the seafood area, it has its 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 to the public has been well thought out. While it’s easy to get around with some information, foodies and people who want to know more should take a Toyosu fish market and tuna auction tour.
Toyosu Fish Market Calendar 2023 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 2023 Toyosu Fish Market calendar dates when planning your trip. The market is closed on dates marked in red.
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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 close as there’s no public transport at that time.
Other early morning visitors should also stay 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 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
| Hotel | Distance* | Star Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel LiVEMAX Toyosu-Ekimae | 1.4km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Daiwa Roynet Hotel Tokyo Ariake | 1.5km | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Hotel Fukuracia Harumi | 1.7km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Hotel Mariners’ Court Tokyo | 1.7km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel | 1.8km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Sotetsu Grand Fresa Tokyo Bay | 2.1km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Hotel MONday | 2.4km | ⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Hotel Trusty Tokyo Bayside | 2.5km | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Tokyo Ariake Bay Hotel | 2.8km | ⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba | 3.3km | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
| Hilton Tokyo Odaiba | 3.3km | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Book >> |
More Tokyo Food and Drink Experiences
Whether you take a Toyosu Fish Market tour or visit, 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 unique 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),