Tsukiji Outer Market

Tsukiji Outer Market, once a seafood wholesale market, is reputed as “the kitchen of Tokyo”, attracting countless visitors to eat breakfast and lunch. The food here is fresh and cheap, and the most popular ones are sushi and sashimi rice bowls that need seafood as materials.

The Development of Tsukiji Market

The Tsukiji Market was once divided into Tsukiji Floor Market and Tsukiji Outer Market. It was once the largest seafood wholesale market in Tokyo, but Tsukiji Floor Market has been moved to Toyosu Market in 2018. However, the current Tsukiji Outer Market is still a busy food market, and many tourists come here to search for delicious food.

Store in Tsukiji Outer Market

Authetic Sushi

Best Food Stores in Tsukiji Outer Market

No one is able to leave the market without eating anything. Sushi, sashimi rice bowls, and tamagoyaki are the must-eat food in the market. The raw material is fresh, especially the seafood, like sea urchins, salmon roe, and tuna. Fortunately, you are able to watch the scene of dissecting complete tuna. Here are some recommended gourmet stores:  
Authetic Sushi

 Daiwa Sushi: The popular store sells authentic sushi, and is always full of visitors. Per capita spending is about 4,500 yen.
 Uogashi-sennryo: A famous store sells sashimi rice bowls. You can taste varied sliced raw fish and fish roe. Besides, you can order a sea urchin to mix your rice and make the shop assistant add soup stock to your bowl. The price of one sashimi rice bowl is about 3,500 yen. 
 Shouro: The store sells delicious tamagoyaki. The sweet egg flavor and the soft texture make visitors crave a bite. The price of one tamagoyaki is about 120 yen.
 Sanokiya: The taiyaki with tuna shape is the special food of the store. You can taste tuna taiyaki in different flavors. Each tuna taiyaki is about 200 yen.
 Marutoyo: The store mainly rice balls with about thirty flavors, and it also sells box lunches and mini sashimi rice bowls. The price of the rice balls is about 250 yen. 
 Soratsuki: Strawberry mochi and strawberry ice cream are the special food of the store. The mochi sells for about 350 yen, and the ice cream is about 600 yen.

Tip: Some popular shops are always full of people waiting in line. You can choose the dish you want or plan your next destination while waiting in line.

The Store of Soratsuki

Delicious Street Snack

Other Things to Do in Tsukiji Outer Market

1. Buy Good Things for Kitchen 

In the market, you can find many stores that sell varied kitchen utensils and condiments, like knives, cutlery, cooking bags, pickles, and dried fish. Suppose you miss Japanese food after your trip, you can bring some cooking bags to cook for yourself. Besides, it is said that some famous Japanese chefs buy their knives here, and you can pick up some good knives that suit you. Here are some good stores that sell the above objects:

 Azuma Minamoto no Masahisa: It is a store that mainly sells knives in different sizes and shapes. You even have the opportunity to see the process of polishing the knives. The price of these tools is between 10,000 and 50,000, and you can see a clear shop logo on the knife.
 Ichifuji: The store was open in 1951, and delicate porcelains with beautiful patterns are the best items of the shop. Pick up some beautiful dinner plates, and cups to decorate your dining table.
 Yoshioka-ya Tsukiji: It is a store containing a variety of pickles, and it provides online shopping service.
 Kintomi: It is a good store to buy dried fish and sliced raw fish. The price of dried fish is between 500 and 5,000 each.

2. Stop by the Namiyoke Inari Shrine

It is said that the shrine protects the Tsukiji market and its merchants, and you can see the biggest statue of a lion head with a golden color in Japan. During the mid of June, you have the opportunity to participate in the Lion Festival and see the huge lion’s head held by people in the street.

The Taboos in Tsukiji Outer Market

1. You are not allowed to eat food while walking, so finish your food inside or in front of the store.
2. Please do not touch raw food material with your hands.
3. Smoking is prohibited; the market provides a special smoking place.
4. If you would like to take pictures of the store, please get the permission of the owners or assistants. Some shops will have signs that forbid taking photos. 
5. There is no custom of haggling in this market because it is basically wholesale, so you cannot haggle prices.
6. Because the passageway of the market is not spacious, the luggage is required to be stored in the luggage cabinets. The cabinets at the market come in three sizes, priced at 200 yen, 300 yen, and 500 yen for usage.

Tips

1. You can ask for a map of the market in the information center to help you quickly locate the different stores. Besides, most staff here can speak English, and you can ask any question.
2. The roads in the Tsukiji Outer Market are narrow and crowded and may have water stains, so it is not a good choice to wear sandals. 

Approximate Visit Time

0.5-1 hour. 

The market usually opens at 8:00 and closes at 14:00. Visiting Tsukiji Outer Market at about 9:30 is a good choice. Besides, the majority of stores are closed on Wednesdays, Sundays, and national holidays. By the way, if you want to explore some famous stores, you may have to spend more time since these stores are always full of visitors.

How to Get to Tsukiji Outer Market

1. Take Toei Oedo Line, and get off at Tsukijishijo Station.
2. Take Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, and get off at Tsukiji Station.
3. Take Toei Asakusa Line or Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, and get off at Higashi-Ginza Station.

What is Worth Visiting near Tsukiji Outer Market

After eating fresh and delicious food in Tsukiji Outer Market, it is a good choice to explore the nearby modern and bustling area, Ginza, where you can buy a variety of luxuries. You can walk to Ginza, which takes about 10 minutes.