In October 2018, a major change occured in Tokyo, as the operations of the old Tsukiji Fish Market was moved to the new Tyosu Market to free up valuable land in Tokyo’s densely occupied center. The Tsukiji Fish Market was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, a distinction now held by its successor in Toyosu.

The new Tyosu Market is comprised of two buildings for fish and seafood and a third one for fruits and vegetables. Since Tsukiki was such a popular tourist attraction, care was taken to include a special viewing deck in the design of the new fish market, from which you can observe the activities from above.

Many restaurants are found within Toyosu Market, and fresh fish and seafood is of course a speciality for many of them.

Where is Toyosu Market?

Toyosu Market is situated in Toyosu, Tokyo Bay.

Toyosu is a part of Kōtō, Tokyo established on reclaimed land in the 1930s.

Public transportation access: Toyosu Station (Yurikamome and Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line)

The famous Tsukiji Fish Market

The ancestor of today’s Toyosu Market is the famous Tsukiji Fish Market from 1923, housed in a building from 1935. Tsujiji is an area of central Tokyo, situated between the fashionable shopping district Ginza and the River Sumida.

The innermost parts of the Tsukiji Fish Market was only open to those with authorization, but the outer parts were accessible to the public and developed into a popular tourist destination for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Background

During the Edo period, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu invited fishermen from Osaka to bring fish to the Edo Castle. Fish not purchased by the imperial court was offered for sale at spot near the Nihonbashi bridge.

On 1 September, 1923, the market by the Nihonbashi bridge was destroyed in the Grent Kanto Earthquake. Afterwards, a new fish market was established in the Tsukiji district.

In 1935, the construction of the modern market facility was completed in Tsukiji and this is where a huge and internationally famous market for fish and sea food developed. The construction was designed to be earthquake resilient, and the shape was quarter circular to allow easier access and handling for freight trains.

Documentaries

• The Japanese documentary series “Trails to Tsukiji” is focused on foods found in this market. It airs on NHK World.
• The market is featured in the 2011 film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”, a documentary about the world-famous sushi-chef Jiro Ono.
• The Japanese culture and lifestyle TV-show “Begin Japanology” devoted a full episode to the market in 2008, which aired on NHK World.
• The Tsukiji Market is featured in a 2008 episode of “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern”. The main focus is the Tuna Auction and some of the restaurants.
• The travel show Globe Trekker, hosted by Ian Wright, included the fish market in their episode about Tokyo. Focus is on a fish auction and one of the nearby sushi parlours.

Other media

• The market is featured as one of the Photo Mode locations in the Playstation 2 video game Gran Turismo 4 (2005).
• The market can be seen in the video for the 2014 single “Rather Be” by the British music group Clean Bandit.