I’m planning my honeymoon to Japan next Spring and one of the places I’ve always wanted to go is the fish market. I’m a major foodie and it’s one of the biggest reasons that I want to go to Japan. I’m also kind of an amateur cook and I’ve been trying to learn some Japanese recipes.
With that said, I’m a bit torn on the idea of a tour. It’s not something that I’ve generally done when traveling, and I’ve heard that Toyosu is the kind of place you can just wander through. However, I wonder whether a good tour might give me some insight that just walking through wouldn’t, especially if I’m interested in the food industry/how chefs choose items/information about the products there.
Based on this, would a food tour be worth it? I know I will be a tourist, but I don’t want anything *too* touristy, and I don’t want to do it if it will take away from the experience. Otherwise, are there any particular recommendations on English-language tours?
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If you’re going to another city/region in Japan with another seafood market/village, I recommend skipping Toyosu unless you want to specifically visit one of its sushi restaurants there. The atmosphere completely changed that you could no longer visit the bustling fish trade area (I blame the obnoxious tourists at the old Tsukiji Inner Market) and the famed tuna auction is not as charming(?) as it was during the Inner Market days. In short, the modern building lacks the old school bustling character which you could mistake it for another government office building.
If you’re after the food, I suggest you to visit the Outer Market in Tsukiji. Personally, as someone adventurous from Asia who visited multiple countries, the food selection is a bit underwhelming but it still certainly won’t disappoint for most visitors. Some food I could recall: tamagoyaki (sweet omelette on a stick), chirashi sushi/kaisendon (sushi rice bowl), fresh croissants, shumai (Chinese steamed pork dumplings), nikuman (Chinese steamed pork buns), soft serve ice cream, yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers) and even some kid-friendly stuff like croquettes and fried chicken.
If you’re a serious seafood eater who want to visit an “authentic” Japanese fish market and eat on real, lower prices, I recommend the Karato Ichiba Market in Shimonoseki, the Morning Market in Hakodate and the Furukawa Fish Market in Aomori. All three are quite far from Tokyo but the atmosphere is certainly old school and distinctly Japanese. At Karato Ichiba, you could get a solid seafood breakfast for under JPY 3,000 by ordering multiple items at different market stalls.
From what I understand, the wholesale market area is exclusively reserved to customer and you cannot tour it. I might be wrong, tell me if you saw tour that do go in the wholesale area.
So while a tour might might be able to provide different information, I would also not expect it to be a completely different experience from going by yourself.
The whole Toyosu experience is not what you would have if you go to a smaller fish market elsewhere in Japan that is more open to the public, just as Tsukiji used to be.
Don’t recommend visiting Toyosu unless you have connections that can get you into the fish auction and you arrive plenty early with a hotel within walking distance early morning.
The auction is closed to the public. There was supposed to be viewing windows above the auction for the public to view the auction, but it seemed to be closed off due to COVID last I went. With the recent Covid restrictions, there is little to see there.
There is a lot of walking in that area as you can visit the 2 types of fish market and vegetables market. The food selection was limited to 2 food courts. Honestly, the restaurants in the outer markets of Tsukiji still taste better than the offerings at Toyosu and are much easier to get to.
What is worth checking out in Toyosu is the TeamLab’s “Planets” art exhibit near the station.
I went to Toyosu for the first time last year.
It’s definitely not the same vibe as Tsukiji. I went to eat at a sushi place that I used to go to often in Tsukiji but moved. The whole area is very new and it feels more industrial.
Tsukiji is still nice and easily accessible for tourists. You’ll have a fun time walking around and eating. You won’t get the fish market tour but it’s good enough to experience.
Instead, I’ve seen some sushi making experiences on Airbnb, something like that might be nice. (At a sushi place)
I don’t know about Tokyo, but in Kanazawa, there’s an English-speaking cultural organization that will first give you a tour of the local Omicho Market, and then bring you to their kitchen to teach you how to cook a traditional family meal with the goods. They even send you home with the recipes and explainers.
I went to Tsukiji many times when it was still open, it was one of my favorite places in Tokyo. I then went to Toyosu about 6 months after it opened, it sucks! You can only see things from a tiny window on an elevated walkway, the restaurant area looks like a mall, has 0 character and was packed. Go to any of the other remaining traditional fish markets. Yokohama, Kanazawa, for example. Enjoy your trip!
I have been there just prior to the country’s lockdown and I can tell you that after having visited Tsukiji fishmarket every time I was in Japan since 2009, the new building, the atmosphere, the feeling, all of it is just gone.
It really took a turn for the worst.