Tsukiji

Tsukiji’s famous Tsukiji Fish Market has moved to Toyosu, but there’s still a thriving market at the old market site, which is fun if you like crowds and street food.

[Tsukiji Outer Market: artapartment / Shutterstock.com]

The world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market has moved to Toyosu and is now known as Toyosu Fish Market. See our Toyosu Fish Market guide for full details on the new market. Now, there’s still a busy market at the site of the old fish market in Tsukiji. It’s mostly geared to tourists these days. It can be a lot of fun for a few hours, but it’s not a major Tokyo highlight.

Tokyo Holiday Essentials

Tsukiji Highlights

• Tsukiji Fish Market Outer Market
• Namiyoke Inari-jinja Shrine

[Namiyoke Inari-jinja Shrine: Kent Wang / flickr.com | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Things To See And Do In Tsukiji

• Tsukiji Fish Market
  Tsukiji Fish Market has closed and moved and now operates as Toyosu Fish Market. See our Toyosu Fish Market guide for full details on the new market. There’s still a lot of action at the former fish market’s outer market section. There are shops selling all manner of cookware, some food items, and plenty of restaurants serving sushi and other kinds of Japanese food.
• Namiyoke Inari-jinja Shrine (Shinto shrine)
  This small Shinto shrine is located right outside the market on the northeast side. This is where fisherman pray for safety on the seas and vendors pray for good sales. It’s worth a quick look.

Places To Eat In Tsukiji

Eating a sushi breakfast or lunch is great after touring the market. The outer market area is filled with tiny sushi restaurants. Unfortunately, the market is so popular now with tourists that you usually have to wait on line. And, who really wants to put up with these crowds? I much prefer eating in the more relaxing (and often better) sushi places on the other side of Shin-Ohashi-dori (the big street on the north side of the market).

• Tsukiji Sushisei Honten
  For quality sushi at reasonable prices in Tsukiji, you can’t go wrong with Tsukiji Sushisei Honten. As a bonus, this two-storey restaurant doesn’t see the mind-boggling queues of rival shops!
• Tsukiji Sushi Iwa
  Looking for decent sushi around Tsukiji without the mile-long queues? Check out Tsukiji Sushi Iwa, a casual, mid-range restaurant a short walk away from the market. We suggest paying just a little more at lunch to get the most bang for your buck.
• Sushizanmai Bekkan (sushi)
  If you insist on eating at the market, this popular spot is a good choice. There’s some tiny English writing on the sign. Look for the picture of the guy picking up a fish.
• Tempura Kurokawa
  For honest, fresh, fabulous tempura bowls at bargain prices, try Tempura Kurokawa in Tsukiji’s Outer Market. A handful of deep-fried scallop and prawns at just ¥1500? Yes, please!

[Tsukiji Fish Market Outer Market: Princess_Anmitsu / Shutterstock.com]

Shopping In Tsukiji

• Tsukiji Fish Market Outer Market (cookware and food)
  In addition to all the fish, there are lots of stalls in the outer market that sell cooking ware and other food-related items. The prices are very cheap here and the selection is interesting. Have a look after exploring the fish market sections. There’s also a small produce area.

Where Are These Places Located?

• Open the Tokyo map
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels / Ryokan / Guesthouses | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | GREEN: Shops | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
• If you’re using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

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