Tokyo: Toyosu Tuna Auction & Tsukiji Market Private Tour

4.94

(139 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the bell before you see the tuna,” our guide Satoshi grinned as we shuffled into Toyosu Market just after sunrise. I’d barely woken up but the place was already humming—forklifts zipping by, vendors shouting greetings that echoed off the glass walls. We watched the famous tuna auction from above (lottery didn’t work out for us this time), but honestly, even from the second floor you could feel it—the sharp clang of metal hooks, that weirdly sweet smell of ice and sea. Satoshi pointed out a huge bluefin and whispered its price. I thought he was joking. He wasn’t.

After that rush, we wandered over to Tsukiji Outer Market. It’s only about fifteen minutes away but feels totally different—more chaotic in a friendly way. Old men in aprons were slicing up uni behind tiny counters; a woman handed me a sample of tamagoyaki so hot it nearly burned my tongue (worth it). The air smelled like grilled eel and soy sauce. Satoshi knew half the shopkeepers—he’d stop every few steps to chat or recommend something random (“Try this matcha powder—it’s from Kyoto!”). I tried saying thank you in Japanese and got a round of polite laughter.

I didn’t expect to care so much about kitchen knives, but we ducked into this little shop where the owner let me hold one—cold steel handle, perfectly balanced. There was something comforting about how everyone seemed to have their own rhythm here: tourists gawking at giant crabs, locals just buying groceries like it was any other day. We ended up squeezing into a sushi bar for breakfast (optional on the tour), where the chef pressed rice with hands so fast I almost missed it. The tuna melted in my mouth. Still thinking about that bite days later.