One market is for eating. The other is where the fish begins. Here’s how to choose.
If you love sushi, a morning at a Tokyo fish market is probably on your list. Then you hit the confusing part. Some guides send you to Tsukiji Outer Market, some to Toyosu Market, and some say Tsukiji closed years ago.
Here’s the simple version: Tsukiji is where you eat, and Toyosu is where you watch the tuna auction and see how fish reaches a sushi counter. This guide walks you through both, so you can pick the one that fits your trip — or do both before lunch.
The short answer
- Go to Tsukiji Outer Market if you want to eat. Tamagoyaki on a stick, a seafood bowl for breakfast, sushi at a tiny counter, and hundreds of food shops packed into a few narrow streets.
- Go to Toyosu Market if you want to see where the fish comes from. It’s Tokyo’s working wholesale market, home of the tuna auction, and where sushi chefs buy their fish today.
- Love sushi and have two mornings? Do both. Toyosu first to understand the fish, Tsukiji the next day to eat your way through it.
What moved in 2018 (and what didn’t)
Tsukiji used to have two parts side by side:
- The inner market — the professional wholesale market, where the famous tuna auction took place. On October 11, 2018, it moved to a new site in Toyosu, a short ride across the water.
- The outer market — the streets of shops and small restaurants around it. This part never moved. Tsukiji Outer Market is still open, with about 460 shops selling fish, knives, tea, dried goods and street food.
So “Tsukiji closed” is only half true. The wholesale market left. The neighborhood most visitors loved is still there.
| Tsukiji Outer Market | Toyosu Market | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Shops, food stalls and small restaurants | Tokyo’s wholesale fish market |
| Best for | Eating and browsing | Watching the market work, tuna auction |
| Atmosphere | Crowded, lively, old Tokyo | Modern, clean, more spread out |
| Tuna auction | No | Yes (viewing areas) |
| Sushi | Many counters and stalls | Restaurants inside the market buildings |
| Must-try | Tamagoyaki, kaisendon, grilled seafood | Sushi right next to the auction floor |
| Nearest station | Tsukiji Station / Tsukijishijo Station | Shijo-mae Station (Yurikamome line) |
| Best time | About 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is easiest | Very early (from 5 a.m. on market days) |
Checked in October 2026.
Eating at Tsukiji Outer Market
Tsukiji is where you come hungry. The streets are narrow, the shops are small, and each one keeps its own hours. Early morning is busy with chefs and restaurant buyers, so for sightseeing, about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the easiest time to visit. Many shops close on Wednesdays, Sundays and national holidays, so check before you go.
A neighborhood with a long memory
Tsukiji Outer Market grew up around the old wholesale market, and it still feels like a neighborhood more than a tourist attraction. Many shops have been here for decades, and the people who work here know each other by name.
Part of the fun is imagining these streets in the old days, when fish dealers carried baskets of fish in by train and sushi chefs from neighborhoods like Shinagawa rode over by bicycle at dawn to buy the day’s fish. Today you can still sit down to a fresh seafood bowl before most of Tokyo is awake.
Tamagoyaki: two very different omelets
Everywhere you look at Tsukiji, someone is holding a thick slice of tamagoyaki on a stick. This sweet, layered Japanese rolled omelette is one of the market’s most famous snacks and a fun first bite of the morning.
The tamago at a traditional sushi shop is something else. It’s thicker and smoother, somewhere between a custard pudding and a sponge cake, and many old shops blend shrimp paste into the eggs for a gentle sweetness and a deep, savory flavor. You may see it called kasutera tamago or atsuyaki tamago.
At long-established sushi shops, this tamago is a test of skill. An apprentice may spend years — sometimes as long as ten — before being trusted to make it, and hundreds of attempts can be thrown away along the way. If you’ve seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi, you’ll remember the apprentice who finally gets his tamago approved after countless tries.
So enjoy your tamagoyaki on a stick at Tsukiji. Then, at a good sushi counter, order the tamago and taste the difference.
Kaisendon (seafood bowls)
A kaisendon is a bowl of rice topped with raw seafood: tuna, salmon roe, sea urchin, shrimp. It’s the easiest sushi breakfast at Tsukiji, and many small restaurants and stalls serve it.
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Sushi counters and food stalls
You’ll find everything from standing sushi bars to counters that have been open for decades. Expect lines at the popular places in the morning. Between meals, the food stalls sell grilled scallops, tuna skewers, oysters and more.
A few rules worth knowing
- Follow each shop’s signs about where to eat. Many have a spot in front of the shop for eating what you just bought.
- Keep to the side of the narrow streets. Trucks and carts still make deliveries.
- Ask before taking photos inside a shop.
Getting there: Tsukiji Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Exit 1) is about a 3-minute walk, and Tsukijishijo Station (Toei Oedo Line, Exit A1) is about 2 minutes.
Watching the fish at Toyosu Market
Toyosu is the opposite of Tsukiji: a new market on Tokyo’s waterfront, opened in 2018. It’s modern and built for business, with visitor walkways and viewing windows above the market floors. On a typical market day, around 1,100 tons of seafood are traded here.
The market is open to visitors from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Sundays, national holidays and some other days, so check the official market calendar before you go. It’s a one-minute walk from Shijo-mae Station on the Yurikamome line.
The tuna auction (and more)
The tuna auction starts early in the morning. There are two ways to watch:
- From the 2nd-floor visitor passage — no reservation needed. It’s open from 5 a.m. on market days and looks down on the auction floor through windows.
- From the observation deck — closer to the action, but you need to win a monthly lottery in advance. Viewing runs from about 5:45 to 6:25 a.m., up to five people per group. It’s free; tours that sell deck spots aren’t allowed, so apply yourself on the official lottery site.
The lottery doesn’t take applications for December 25 to January 5. For details and the application, see the official Toyosu Market website.
It isn’t only tuna. Sea urchin and other seafood are sold by auction here too, and Toyosu’s fruit and vegetable market holds auctions of its own.
The biggest morning of the year is the first auction after New Year. In January 2026, the top tuna sold for a record ¥510.3 million. Not everyone loves the headline-making bids, but the energy that morning is hard to beat.
Even if you miss the auction, walking above the market and seeing rows of tuna laid out is unforgettable.
Eating and shopping at Toyosu
There are 39 restaurants inside the market: 22 on the 3rd floor of the Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, 13 on the 3rd floor of the Administration Building, and 4 on the 1st floor of the Fruit and Vegetable Building. Most open early for market workers, and hours vary by shop. Eating sushi a few minutes’ walk from where the fish was sold is a special experience — just be ready for lines at the famous places.
Note that the wholesale floors are for professionals, so you can’t buy fish there. For shopping, head to Uogashi Yokocho, which is open from early morning until around noon, or to Senkyaku Banrai next door.
Senkyaku Banrai: make a day of it
Right next to the market is Senkyaku Banrai, which opened on February 1, 2024. It has an Edo-style food street (most restaurants open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and a 24-hour hot spring, Tokyo Toyosu Manyo Club. It’s built to turn an early market visit into a whole day. You can:
- soak your feet for free in the 8th-floor footbath garden while looking out over the bay
- change into a yukata (included with hot spring admission), relax in the baths and nap in the relaxation rooms
- read manga in the comics corner, or try the bedrock bath for an extra fee
- eat at the buffet, or finish with drinks at the food street
From Edomae Pier Toyosu, right in front of Senkyaku Banrai, a yakatabune sightseeing boat makes 40-minute cruises. No reservation needed (first come, first served; ¥2,500 for adults).
With its views over the bay, Toyosu draws everyone from families to couples on a date. See Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai on GO TOKYO for the latest information.
Where does a sushi chef actually buy fish?
Most guides skip this question, but it’s the clearest way to understand the difference between the two markets.
The fish at a good Tokyo sushi counter usually passes through Toyosu first. Early in the morning, intermediate wholesalers (nakaoroshi) buy at the auction, and sushi chefs come to their stalls to choose fish up close. Tsukiji Outer Market, on the other hand, is where chefs and home cooks have long bought knives, tools, dried goods and other ingredients.
In other words: Toyosu is where the fish is chosen. Tsukiji is where you get to enjoy it.
What to look for if you love sushi
A market visit is the best way to put names to the fish you’ve been eating at home. A few to look for:
- Otoro and chutoro — the fatty belly cuts of bluefin tuna. Otoro is the richest; chutoro sits between otoro and lean akami.
- Uni — sea urchin, sold in small wooden trays.
- Ikura — salmon roe, the bright orange beads on many kaisendon.
- Tamago — the sushi-shop omelet, often made with shrimp paste. Compare it with the tamagoyaki on a stick you tried at Tsukiji.
Can you visit both in one day?
Yes. Toyosu and Tsukiji are a short taxi ride apart.
A simple plan:
- From 5 a.m.: Toyosu for the tuna auction and a look at the market.
- Breakfast: sushi inside Toyosu, or save your appetite for Tsukiji.
- Around 9 a.m.: Tsukiji Outer Market for tamagoyaki, a seafood bowl and shopping.
- Afternoon (optional): back to Senkyaku Banrai for the footbath, hot spring or a boat ride.
Check that both are open that day. Toyosu closes on Sundays and holidays, and many Tsukiji shops close on Wednesdays.
So which one should you visit?
Choose Tsukiji Outer Market if…
- you want to eat as much as possible in one morning
- you want the lively, old-Tokyo atmosphere
- you’re traveling with people who don’t care about the auction
Choose Toyosu Market if…
- you want to see the real wholesale market and the tuna auction
- you’re curious about how sushi chefs source their fish
- you’d like to turn the morning into a full day at Senkyaku Banrai
Love sushi? Do both. Toyosu shows you where the fish begins. Tsukiji lets you taste it.
Which one should you visit? It really depends on what you want to see.
Toyosu is clean and modern, but it doesn’t have the old-fashioned buzz. Or if it does, it’s a different kind. If you want a glimpse of the history and everyday life of the people who made their living from fish, Tsukiji is still worth the trip. Standing in those narrow streets, you can imagine a time when Pacific saury from Chiba arrived here by the ton, more than anyone could sell.
On the other hand, if you’re curious about what goes on inside one of the world’s largest seafood markets, with state-of-the-art facilities, and you’d like to drop by a fun new attraction while you’re there, Toyosu has its own appeal.
Quick FAQ
Is Tsukiji still worth visiting?
Yes. Only the wholesale market moved. The outer market’s roughly 460 shops are still in Tsukiji and still busy.
Is Toyosu Market worth visiting?
If you’re curious about how fish reaches a sushi counter, yes. If you mainly want street food, Tsukiji is the easier choice.
Can I still see the tuna auction at Tsukiji?
No. The auction moved to Toyosu in 2018. For visiting hours and the auction lottery, check the official Toyosu Market website.
Do I need to book in advance?
Not for Tsukiji Outer Market, and not for Toyosu’s 2nd-floor visitor passage. Only Toyosu’s tuna auction observation deck needs a lottery application in advance.
Which market has better sushi?
Both have excellent sushi. Toyosu puts you right next to the fish; Tsukiji gives you more choice and a livelier street.
When are the markets closed?
Toyosu Market is closed on Sundays, national holidays and some other days; check the official market calendar. At Tsukiji Outer Market, each shop sets its own days off, and many close on Wednesdays, Sundays and holidays.
Facts in this article were checked in October 2026 against official and published sources. Photos are our own unless noted.
If this was useful, subscribe — next we’re taking you inside Senkyaku Banrai, the Edo-style food street next to Toyosu Market.
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