The fish market operation at Tsukiji (known as the 'inner market') closed and moved to Toyosu Fish Market in October 2018. However, the neighbouring retail/food district (the 'outer market') remains in business.
Tsukiji Market is the largest and the busiest wholesale market in Japan. Besides fish, it also sells vegetables and fruits. As one of the biggest fish markets in the world, Tsukiji Market is able to handle 2,000 tons of marine product per day.
There's one thing that you must not miss while visiting this market. Get up early in the morning and go to see a tuna auction, which is increasingly a well-known attraction for tourists in Japan. First of all, check the website to make sure it is open to the public when you go. You need to apply at the Osakana Fukyu Center (Fish Information Center) located at the Kachidoki gate, Harumi Street. It is limited to 120 visitors per day to watch the auction.
The auction starts at 5 am and visitors are divided into two groups. The first group of 60 is admitted to the auction between 5:25-5:50 am, while the second group of 60 will watch the auction between 5:50-6:15 am. It should be noted that during holiday season visitors start lining up at 3 am even when the gate opens at 5 am. Camera flash is not allowed as it is considered disruptive.
After that you are encouraged to look around the wholesale area which consists of big and small retail shops. It is an exciting area for tourists to see and take pictures of the fish and see how the sellers work with their carts and trucks. In order to prevent interference of the workers, tourists are not permitted to enter before 9am, asked to refrain from bringing anything into the market, and asked to be constantly alert to avoid blocking the traffic.
While waiting for the market to open, you can enjoy breakfast and taste some snacks at Tsukiji. Seafood lovers may be familiar with sushi and sashimi, but a must-try food here is magurotataki-don (mashed tuna) or ikura-don (salmon egg). Don means food served in a bowl and generally with rice at the bottom of main meal. You can't eat raw food? Don't worry! There are a lot of delicious local foods, such as fried seafood, seafood soup, and grilled eel. Even though Tsukiji seafood must be tried, tamagoyaki (fried egg) is famous as well. The Japanese omelette which is tender and little bit sweet, always temps anyone to buy it. Don't miss it!
