It’s been almost 6 years since the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market relocated from Tsukiji, and I finally got the chance to visit Toyosu Market. Many of the ingredients used in Kaiseki cuisine are hard to find in local supermarkets, so I was so excited!
Arrived at Toyosu Market Station in the morning, the first thing that struck me was the size of this market.
Provided by: Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market
The areas I visited are listed below, I ended up walking over 10,000 steps that day:
- Fish Wholesale Area
- 4th Floor of the Fisheries Wholesale Building (Uogashi Yokocho)
- Fruit and Vegetable Market
- 3rd Floor of the Management Building (Restaurants)
- Tuna Auction Area
- Toyosu Senkyakubanrai ( just for Footbath Experience)
- Ninja, Samurai, and Bushi Experience
Also, you can find the map bellow:
Toyosu Shops and Restaurants Map
The guide first taught me the following etiquette of visiting the market:
- The morning is prioritized for professionals. (for a new comer, around 8 to 10 a.m. is the best time to visit)
- Visit in small groups, less than 4 people. (the aisles are narrow, and it’s not a place for loud chatter)
- Don’t haggle. (the sellers usually deal in large quantities for professional use, so negotiating for small purchases is not appropriate)
- Don’t touch the food or take photos without permission.
As I have already mentioned, it’s a place for professionals. Japanese cuisine is mostly served in simple seasoned, so chefs are paying more attention, getting the best ingredients for their dishes. So I hope you could keep in mind that this market is very special and important place for Japanese food industry.
The place I was most excited about is the fish wholesale area. I couldn’t take picture inside, but you can see like this from above. There was a security guard in front of the escalator down to the area, so many people stopped there.
※The guide showed me how to access this area, but it’s not a information to be widely shared, so I’ll leave it out here.
Inside, about 480 stores were packed, and the Turlay, small three-wheeled cargo vehicle, were running very closely. Too many stores, and also the day I visited were before a day off of the market, so most of the stores were starting to close. Even though, I got a lot of fresh and unique seafoods.
Here is the list of items I bought:
- Fresh seaweed
- Asari clam
- Japanese basket clam
- Japanese barracuda
- Baby horse mackerel
Definitely want to come back and explore more in the future.
Next, I visited the upper floors of the same building, Uogashi Yokocho. It’s widely opened for sightseeing, and there were various stores selling dried foods, utensils and tools. I was dying to buy it, but I’ll keep it for the next time to enjoy.
After that, we headed across the station to the Fruit and Vegetable Market. Here, the guide introduced me her go-to place. It was a nice surprise that not just selling rare vegetables but also garnishes used for Kaiseki dishes were there. I’d love to become a regular!
For lunch, we returned to the Fisheries Wholesale Building. Most people probably think of sushi or seafood set meals is best to eat, actually very crowded, but our guide’s recommendation was a restaurant specialized in chicken dishes. The classic Oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl) and ramen seems excellent, but the real standout was their specialty: Oyakodon with curry, which was absolutely delicious.
After lunch, we visited few more areas, but carrying all the ingredients, along with the ice packs to keep cold, it was like a rough workout. It gradually drained my energy, and in the end, I was completely exhausted… Make sure to plan your shopping carefully!
I’m grateful to have participated in such an great tour. Again, the quality of the ingredients is everything in Japanese cuisine, so I’ll continue visiting Toyosu market to develop my eyes and skills selecting the best ingredients.
