What Tsukiji is now, and how it differs from Toyosu
Tokyo's wholesale fish market, with its tuna auctions, moved to Toyosu Market, which opened on 11 October 2018. The outer market's English page explains that the shops around the old wholesale market stayed put, and that cluster is what visitors now call Tsukiji.
The two places suit different plans:
| Tsukiji Outer Market | Toyosu Market | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Retail shops and restaurants | Working wholesale market |
| Visitor hours | Shops' own hours; selling hours 9:00–14:00 | 5:00–17:00 on market days |
| Sundays and holidays | About a third of shops open | Closed |
| Tuna auction | None | Observation deck by application, or the visitor walkway |
| Getting there | Subway, 1–5 minutes on foot | Next to Shijo-mae Station on the Yurikamome |
Go to Tsukiji to eat and shop. Go to Toyosu if seeing the auction floor matters more than browsing, and only on a market day. On Sundays and holidays Toyosu is closed, so Tsukiji is the only option of the two.
Hours: why 9:00 is the sensible start
The calendar and hours page splits the day into three bands: 6:00–9:00 is mainly for professional buyers, 9:00–14:00 is the normal selling window, and after 14:00 shops trade at their own discretion. Plenty of them close in the early afternoon, so a late visit can mean shutters.
The market's FAQ recommends 9:00–14:00 for sightseeing. Before 9:00 the first manners rule asks you to give way to buyers moving stock between shops. Some restaurants also open in the evening, but seats and booking times vary, so contact the shop.
Year-end food shopping is the exception. The FAQ says crowds peak around midday in that period and suggests arriving around 7:00–8:00 if you are actually shopping.
Closed days: read the wholesale market's calendar
Tsukiji has no calendar of its own. Its calendar page reproduces the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market's closed days and notes that individual shops may close even on market days. The fish-market dates below come from the city's 2026 and 2027 calendar files, checked 25 October 2026.
| Month | Wholesale fish market closed |
|---|---|
| October 2026 (rest) | 25, 28 |
| November 2026 | 1, 3, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 23, 29 |
| December 2026 | 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 31 |
| January 2027 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, 31 |
Two details are easy to miss. Wednesday 4 and 25 November and Wednesday 30 December are closed for the produce market only, so the fish side trades. And Sunday 27 December has no closure listed, so the wholesale market trades that day.
On closed days the outer market does not shut completely. The FAQ says about a third of shops, mostly restaurants, open on Sundays and holidays. For browsing the knife, tableware and dried-goods shops, pick a market day.
The market's eight manners rules
The association publishes eight requests for visitors. In short:
- Before 9:00, buyers have priority; step aside for them.
- Do not eat while walking. Eat inside the shop or in a designated area.
- Put wheeled suitcases in a coin locker. Strollers can be left at the Plat Tsukiji information centre.
- Avoid moving in large groups in the narrow lanes, and hold children's hands.
- Ask the shop before taking photos; shops that ban photography post a notice.
- Do not touch goods, especially fresh food. Ask staff if you need to look closely.
- Do not haggle. Bargaining is not a Tsukiji custom.
- Smoke only in designated smoking areas; no smoking on the move and no littering.
Tour guides get separate requests: no guiding inside shops without permission, no blocking shop fronts, and samples are there for customers deciding what to buy.
Lockers, cards and toilets
The FAQ places the coin lockers at Plat Tsukiji, the general information centre. Check its status first: a 30 September 2026 notice closed it on 7, 21 and 28 October 2026, all market-closed Wednesdays, and gave no November dates.
Payment is shop by shop. The FAQ says some shops accept cards and some do not, so carry cash for small purchases. The same FAQ points to toilets inside the Senshagaku building and the Tsukiji Uogashi building. For bigger purchases such as knives or tableware, our tax-free shopping guide explains the national rules that apply from 1 November 2026.
Getting to Tsukiji Outer Market
The access page lists three subway stations:
- Tsukijishijo (Toei Oedo Line), Exit A1: about 1 minute on foot.
- Tsukiji (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line), Exits 1 and 2: about 1 minute.
- Higashi-Ginza (Hibiya Line and Toei Asakusa Line), Exits 5 and 6: about 5 minutes.
From Tokyo Station, Toei buses To 04, To 05-1 and To 05-2 leave from the Marunouchi South Exit stop; get off at Tsukiji 3-chome. Our Suica, PASMO and card-tap guide explains how to pay on these lines.
