Toyosu Fish Market

In 2018, the famous fish auction and inner market at Tsukiji fish market moved to Toyosu, a modern new development on the waterfront. The Japanese have a tremendous appetite for seafood, from tiny sprats to tuna steaks; and because they have such huge purchasing power, they will pay whatever it takes to bring the finest seafood from wherever it is caught. Arrayed around the stalls of the Toyosu fish market are flying fish from New Zealand, crab and lobster from the east coast of the United States, garoupa from the close-by Pacific Ocean and cod from the cold waters of the Atlantic. Toyosu is almost double the size of Tsukiji but it has lost some of the magic of the original. It all ends up on slabs or in tanks for wholesale supply to the restaurants and shops of Tokyo’s huge urban sprawl. The prime cuts are sought by top sushi chefs and by cooks in the fine Western dining rooms of the five-star hotels. Visitors can no longer witness the auction, but they can visit the wholesale market (with a guide; it is closed to the public) between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Afterwards, you can enjoy a sushi breakfast at any of the stalls (Sushi Dai is one of the most famous).