The perfect place for Japanese cuisine, especially seafood, is Tsukiji Fish Market. Until 2018 Tsukiji Fish Market had an inner market and an outer market. The inner market moved to another area called Toyosu and the outer market stayed as it is. Tsukiji is one of the biggest in Japan, located in central Tokyo, with about 400 shops selling utensils and fresh food including giant oysters. Originally, the market opened to cater to professionals but it is now open to the general public. The market is well known and is one of the most attractive and popular places to visit in Tokyo.
Food You Can Find At Tsukiji Fish Market
Tsukiji Fish Market used to cater to wholesalers but has now opened to the public so tourists can try all the different foods. With there being around 400 shops, it doesn’t matter if a tourist doesn’t fancy seafood, there are also plenty of other street food dishes they can try that don’t include seafood.
Nonseafood options
Although this is called a fish market and the Japanese love their fresh seafood, there are also other very tasty street food options available that aren’t fish; some of these include:
- Tamago-yaki are Japanese rolled omelets and are a staple in Japanese home cooking.
- Shumai are pork dumplings wrapped in wonton wrappers.
Seafood options
The Japanese love seafood and eat a lot of it so there will be many seafood options to choose from when at the fish market some of the popular ones include:
- Corn fish cake skewer is a fish cake covered in sweet corn. In Japan, there are many food stalls specializing in fish cakes but corn fish cakes are the most popular.
- Giant oysters! There are many little stalls full of ice with oysters laying all over.
Things To Do
The market usually opens from around 5:00 in the morning and closes around noon or early afternoon. The best thing to do is to get there early, avoid queues and enjoy an early breakfast. There are plenty of coffee shops and sushi restaurants that are perfect for breakfast, with two well-known places to go at the market.
Breakfast
With the market opening so early, it is perfect for breakfast. There are two very popular choices when it comes to eating breakfast at the market. These include:
- Sushi Dia is one of the most popular restaurants in Japan. But, they always have extremely long lines.
- Tourists should head across to Daiwa Sushi to avoid the queues. This is also very popular and stretches over 2 parts with a good amount of seating, also serving quicker.
Coffee shops
Tourists can also enjoy a tasty hot coffee and some light snacks in Tsukiji markets as they have many popular coffee shops. The Japanese use Dark Molasses, which is a sweet sauce made from black sugar, combined with fresh cream makes a delicious taste and is very Japanese. Some popular coffee shops include:
- Turret Coffee has a chalkboard outside that says, ‘Welcome to the best outrageous coffee shop in Japan’, this explains why it is popular. ‘Turret’ is the name for mini-trucks that used to travel around near the Tsukiji Fish Market.
- Yonemoto coffee shop has a very relaxing atmosphere with seats at the counter where people can have a cup of coffee with a sandwich or even a hot dog.
History
In 1935, Tsukiji market was built in central Tokyo, before World War II. Eventually it developed into a huge centre for seafood, vegetables, and all kinds of processed food. This market was the largest fish market in the world. The fish market was built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay and the word Tsukiji translates in English to “”constructed land.” There are two parts of the market.
Inner market
Tuna auctions were held in the inner market and they made it to International headlines in the early 2000s. There had been talk of relocating.
- The inner market had tuna auctions, prepared fish, and served to commercial fish wholesalers and licensed fish butchers.
- The inner market then relocated in October 2018 to Toyosu market.
Outer market
The outer market stayed in Tsukiji even when the inner market moved, people still visit here and there is still plenty to see there with blocks of wholesale and retail shops.
- Here tourists will see crowded restaurants along narrow lanes.
- This is where they will also find fresh and processed seafood.
Summer Festival
Every summer in Japan, the people celebrate with a summer festival usually held at a small park or temple. People wear yukata which is a Japanese summer kimono. Small kids even wear special clothes and play the Japanese drums which make the experience feel more like a community event than just a typical fish market.
When And What They Do
The festival is held at the same time every year. Everyone always looks forward to it and it’s an amazing experience for all to do.
- The festival is in the summer during July-August and is usually held on weekends.
- There are usually Bon-ordi fireworks, which is a traditional folk dance at many places in Japan. Hearing and seeing these make them feel the summer season.
Festival food
The summer festival is very traditional and by being at the market tourists can relax in the sun and sit with friends and family on the seats around the Japanese drums enjoying food and drinks. Some festival foods include:
- Takoyaki is small pieces of cooked octopus inside balls of Japanese pancake batter.
- Enjoy soratsuki, which is a delicious sweetened bean paste wrapped in mochi dough with a strawberry in the middle.
Tsukiji market is an amazing experience. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn history, how to cut and cook fish, and to try a variety of food. And most of all it’s a very popular experience and a chance to mix and mingle with the culture of Japan.