Toyosu Market: Tokyo's Seafood Hub After Tsukiji
Plan your trip
Toyosu Market (豊洲市場) opened in October 2018 as the successor to the legendary Tsukiji Outer Market, which had operated as Tokyo’s central seafood and wholesale food market since 1935. The move was controversial — Tsukiji’s cramped, atmospheric lanes were replaced with a modern, climate-controlled facility on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay — but Toyosu now handles approximately 480 tons of seafood daily and hosts the famed New Year tuna auction that draws international attention each January.
The Tuna Auction
The centerpiece of Toyosu for visitors is the tuna auction (maguro no seriyaotoshi) — a pre-dawn auction where Tokyo’s top sushi restaurants and wholesale buyers bid on the day’s incoming tuna from fishing boats and air freight around the world.
Access for visitors: Limited observation spots are available via advance lottery registration on the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market website. The quota is 120 visitors per auction in two time slots (approximately 5:25am and 5:50am entry). Applications open approximately two months ahead for the following month’s auctions. Competition for slots is significant, particularly for the January 5th “First Tuna” auction (hatsugatsu-ri).
The First Tuna Auction (January 5th): The most famous single market event in Japan’s food world. The first bluefin tuna of the new year is auctioned in a ceremonial bid — major sushi restaurants compete for the trophy fish and the publicity of paying record prices. Kiyomura Corp (Sushizanmai chain) paid ¥333 million for a single tuna in 2019. The fish itself is inevitably good quality but not meaningfully superior to other January tuna; the ceremony is the point.
Without a lottery slot: The regular tuna auction viewing requires the lottery. However, arriving at the market by 6:30–7am still allows watching the outer market activity, seeing the tuna transport carts, and experiencing the wholesale energy without the auction floor itself.
The Market Layout
Toyosu Market divides into three buildings:
Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market (Building 6 and 7): The main seafood wholesale area. The auction for tuna and other fish occurs here. Observation floors above the market floor give views of the trading. Open to the public from 10am (after wholesale trading concludes); the activity visible at 10am is receiving and organizing, not auction.
Fruit and Vegetable Market (Building 3): The produce wholesale section — less visited by tourists but fascinating for the volume of product being sorted and distributed.
Restaurant and food zone: Both building 6 and the management building have restaurants and food vendors catering to market workers and visitors. The sushi restaurants here open from early morning and serve the same quality fish available from the market.
Eating at Toyosu
The restaurant zone within Toyosu has approximately 35 shops — the highest concentration of sushi and seafood restaurants in a single location in Tokyo. Quality across the group is high because the fish sourcing is directly from the wholesale floor.
Opening hours: Most restaurants open at 5am or 6am and close by 2–3pm. The early morning slot (6–9am) sees market workers and early visitors; by 9–10am the tourist lunch crowd arrives.
What to order:
- Tuna sashimi (maguro sashimi) — the most available and best value item; the grade and freshness visible in the color and texture
- Kaisen-don (seafood rice bowl) — multiple varieties of sashimi over seasoned rice
- Tuna don (tekkadon) — tuna-only rice bowl, available in regular, medium-fatty, and otoro variations
- Uni (sea urchin) — peak availability in summer; the quality here is a reliable indicator of freshness vs. the slightly older product reaching supermarkets
Lines: Popular restaurants within the market have queues by 7am on weekends. Weekday early morning is the best combination of access and value.
Tsukiji vs. Toyosu
The Tsukiji Outer Market (tsukiji jogaishijo) — the street-level food stalls around the former market site — continues to operate independently of Toyosu. The atmospheric alley market with knife shops, tamagoyaki stalls, and sushi restaurants still functions; only the wholesale operations moved to Toyosu.
| Toyosu | Tsukiji Outer | |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trading | Yes — current hub | No (moved to Toyosu) |
| Tuna auction | Yes (lottery required) | No |
| Atmosphere | Modern, functional | Historic, atmospheric |
| Restaurant quality | High | High |
| Tourist crowds | Lower | Higher |
| Accessibility | Yurikamome Line | Walk from Tsukishima |
The practical recommendation: Toyosu for the tuna auction or early-morning sushi with intent; Tsukiji Outer Market for the atmospheric street market experience and knife shopping.
Practical Information
Access: Yurikamome Line (monorail) to Shijo-mae Station — 3-minute walk to the market. From Shimbashi Station: 15 minutes. Alternatively, Toei Oedo Line to Shinonome and walk 15 minutes.
Hours (visitor floors):
- 5am–5:30pm (Buildings 6 and 7, observation floors)
- Restaurants: 5am–3pm (most shops)
Tuna auction lottery: Apply at shijou.metro.tokyo.lg.jp approximately 2 months ahead. Free of charge.
Closed: Sundays, Japanese holidays, and market holiday days (check the market calendar on the website — market holidays are roughly 60 days per year).
Best combination: Early morning Toyosu tuna observation → sushi breakfast → Odaiba waterfront walk (20 minutes by monorail).
Plan your trip
