Toyosu Market, where Japanese food culture begins Enjoy the tuna auction and Exquisite gourmet of the Japanese kitchen

People used to call Tsukiji Market as the Kitchen of Japan. To improve deterioration and to expand the space, it moved to Toyosu and took a fresh start as a Toyosu Market in October, 2018.

The facility is originally for wholesale of fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables, but did you know anyone is allowed to go and enjoy the market? You can enjoy extremely fresh gourmet and shopping very cheaply and you can also visit the tuna auction which you cannot usually see anywhere else. In this article, we will introduce you the new way of enjoying the “Kitchen of Japan”.

History taken over from Tsukiji to Toyosu

Tsukiji Market opened in 1935. It is known to be the oldest wholesale market amongst 11 central wholesale markets in Tokyo.

The history of Tsukiji Market goes way back to the beginning of Edo period. Fisherman from Osaka area were given fishing rights of Edo Bay by Ieyasu Tokugawa, the Shogun (general) of that time. Fishermen presented fishes they caught to the Shogun and sold the leftovers in Nihonbashi. With influence of above, some private markets opened and after Great Kanto Earthquake, the first central wholesale market, Tsukiji Market was born.

Toyosu Market has inherited the history of Tsukiji Market and opened in 2018. Toyosu Market improved many problems Tsukiji Market faced such as temperature management, smooth and safe logistics, and energy savings, etc…

Toyosu Market is 400,000 square feet big which is 1.7 times bigger than Tsukiji Market with impressive neo-futuristic appearance. It consists of four main parts; Management facility building, Fisheries Wholesale Building, Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, and Fruit and Vegetables Building.

Visitors are able to go to PR Center in the Management facility building, Tuna Auction Observation Deck in the Fisheries Wholesale Market Building, Visitors’ Corse, Uogashi Yokocho (Market-related goods shop area) in the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, and Visitor’s Deck in the Fruit and Vegetables Building.

Line of Tuna from Japan and all over the world

You cannot miss out the Tuna Auction when you go to the Market. Visitors are allowed to observe the tuna auction up close from the Tuna Auction Observation Deck but must register in advance. However, visitors who did not get a space on the deck, they can still watch from the second floor.

Tuna Auction Observation Deck has glass walls but visitors are still able to experience and feel the atmosphere of the liveliness and vitality of the workers and hear their voices closely. In the auction area, fresh tuna from home waters and frozen tuna from pelagic ocean are lined up. More than a thousand tunas including Bluefin tuna, Indian tuna, Bigeye tuna, and Yellowfin tuna, from wholesalers are lined up for the auction.

All kinds of auction start from 4:30 in the morning and the tuna auction from 5:30. Before the auction, the intermediate wholesaler and trading participants check the tuna one by one. We were told that all tunas are placed with tail fin up to make sure the participants are able to check the quality of tuna by looking at the condition of fat and color.

Since its summer, tunas from New Zealand and Boston has the highlight of the season. Professionals usually call the tuna by where they are caught or by the fishery method, but since tunas from Boston is so big and they have to be transferred by jumbo jets, so they have the nickname of “Jumbo”.

When the wholesaler rings the bell, it’s the beginning of tuna auction and participants started to gather around the lines of tuna. The buyers bid by raising hands and showing their desired price with their hands. The wholesaler looks at their hands and decides the price. It is so speedy and rhymical that you just cannot take your eyes off the scene.

Enjoy the fresh seafood after the auction

Each facility has restaurants area in the buildings but Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building has the most. Their more than 20 restaurants consist of things like sushi, western food, and good old Japanese style cafes.

How can we miss out the fresh seafood when you are so close to them! So, we visited seafood bowl restaurant, “NAKA-YA” who made their move from Tsukiji Market. They are popular for amazing cost performance and high quality of seafood. It was about 7 in the morning but still there were like 10 people waiting already. They had a fast rotation though, so it did not take long before we got our seats.

We ordered \1,500 “Seafood bowl”, which comes with about 10 kinds of seafood. It had tuna ribs, salmon, salmon roe, crabs and a seasonal fish of the season, horse mackerel. All the fish were thick and had nothing to say about the volume either. It was absolutely amazing!

If you are feeling rich, we recommend the “Fatty tune, sea urchin, salmon roe bowl”. All of them are fresh and is a perfect match with sushi rice.

You can already see we recommend NAKA-YA but there is also one more. You can even add your favorite topping to your bowl you order! If you are looking for a rich and fulfilling breakfast, this is definitely the place.

Store name: NAKA-YA
Address: 6-5-1 Toyosu Koto-Ku, Toyosu Market, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan
Tel: 03-6636-0211
Business hours: 5:3000～134:300
Holidays: Sundays, National Holidays, Market Holidays
Website: http://toyosu.tsukijigourmet.or.jp/shop/6-nakaya/index.html

Try the Long-established fried comobo

On the same floor as NAKA-YA, there is also a long-established fried gourmet restaurant, “Tonkatsu Odayasu”. It has been in Tsukiji Market since they first opened. There are now two stores in Toyosu Market and also in Tsukiji Outer Market. They offer things like fresh seafood fries and Tonkatsu (fried pork) and Karaage (fried chicken).

Their signature combo, three fry combo A, B, C, each come with three recommended fries. A comes with shrimp, crab cream, and pork fillet. B comes with Fugu (blow fish), Mekajiki (swordfish), and salmon. C comes with shrimp, horse mackerel, and scallops. Fried food sounds heavy in the morning but their outer breading is crispy and juicy fillings is something you can just keep eating, even in the morning.

Popular menu for those who work at the Market is “Roasted pork fillet and egg”. Strong flavored roasted pork fillet with soft boiled-eggs is heavy but is something that the plate would be cleaned up before you know it.

The third-generation owner, Katsuki Tanaka cooperated for us taking a picture from the kitchen. How about enjoying an exquisite breakfast at a cozy restaurant?

Store name: Tonkatsu Odayasu Toyosu Branch
Address: Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building 3F 6-5-1 Toyosu Koto-Ku, Toyosu Market, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan
Tel：03-6633-0182
Business hours: 5:30～15:00（L.O.14:00）
Holidays: Sundays, National Holidays, Market Holidays
Website：https://odayasu.net

Have a little shopping time at Uogashi Yokocho (Market-related goods shop area)

On the 4th floor of Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, there is a shopping area called “Uogashi Yokocho” for all visitors. You can find many things related to the market including dried seafood / fruit snacks, fruit and vegetables, and kitchenware. Since it was originally for business users, you may find something lucky.

Enjoy the scenery from the rooftop “Green Roof Plaza” to end (or maybe begin) your day

To generate solar power and countermeasure urban heat island issue, green open space “Green Roof plaza” is installed on the roof top of the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building. Beautifully maintained lawn and the blue sky set you free at the end of a very early morning and give you a fresh start of the day. You can also enjoy a very Tokyo-like scenery with the Tokyo tower, Rainbow Bridge and Harumi Buildings.

By the way, we bought wide variety of goods at Uogashi Yokocho in our shopping time, including Japanese rolled omelet from long-established “Sushi Tama Aoki”, pickles in a stylish vase, and a flounder post card.

Toyosu Market is where visitors are able to experience Japanese food culture packed in one place with both your eyes and tongues. Why not start your day a little early and make a good use of morning time?

Store name: Toyosu Market
Address: 6 Toyosu Koto-Ku, Toyosu Market, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan

Tel: 03-3520-8205
Business hours for visitors: 5:00～17:00 (Restaurants and shopping area may have their own business hours)
Holidays: Sundays, National Holidays, Market Holidays
Website: http://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/english/