Tsukiji Outer Market

In short

Tsukiji Outer Market is a district of specialty food shops extending alongside the site of the former Tsukiji Market. Around 400 shops line the streets, including fresh food stores, eateries such as sushi restaurants, and shops dealing in culinary goods. Even after Tsukiji Market relocated to Toyosu in 2018, the outer market continues to show the same bustle as before.

• ​A Wholesale District for Professionals​​: Although it is a wholesale district where professionals do serious business with each other, the general public can also freely enjoy shopping.
• ​Tsukiji Uogashi​​: A fresh food market housing intermediate wholesalers and other shops; seafood and produce are sold on the 1st floor, and the Uogashi Shokudo food court is on the 3rd floor.
• ​Market Tools​​: You can observe the unique market atmosphere through electric transport vehicles called "turret trucks" (or tare) and the woven bamboo baskets carried by professional chefs.

History and Highlights

Tsukiji Outer Market is a shopping district adjacent to the former Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (Tsukiji Market). Tsukiji Market was established after the fish market in Nihonbashi, which burned down in the Great Kanto Earthquake, relocated here, officially opening in 1935.

A section of the outer market was originally part of the grounds of Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple. After the earthquake, many of the temple's graveyards were relocated, and seafood dealers and other vendors moved in alongside the bustling central market. This is how the outer market naturally developed. Today's outer market consists of three areas with different histories: Edo-period merchant townhouses (machiya), temple districts, and samurai estates. In the area that was once a temple district, four temples still remain today, blending into the market landscape.

Tsukiji Market relocated to Toyosu in 2018. Even so, the outer market and the fresh food market Tsukiji Uogashi continue to show the same bustle as before. Around 400 shops line the streets—offering not only fresh food, but also eateries such as sushi and Western-style restaurants, as well as food-related goods—and the general public can freely enjoy shopping.

Highlights & How to Experience

• ​Tsukiji Uogashi​​: A fresh food market established by Chuo City to carry on the energy and bustle of Tsukiji even after the relocation of Tsukiji Market. Housing approximately 60 shops, including retail shops run by intermediate wholesalers, it consists of two buildings: the Odawarabashi Wing and the Kaikobashi Wing. Seafood and produce are sold on the 1st floor, and the 3rd floor of the Odawarabashi Wing features the Uogashi Shokudo food court.
• ​Market Tools​​: The unusual vehicles running through the streets are electric transport vehicles called tare or turret trucks. The woven bamboo baskets, used to hold purchased fresh goods, are an essential item for professional chefs.
• ​Wholesale District Etiquette​​: The period up to 9:00 a.m. is priority time for business buyers. Because the alleys are narrow and the shops are small, walk in small groups. Eat and drink inside shops or in designated areas. Do not touch the merchandise, and always check with the shop staff before taking photos.

Tips for Visiting

It is a 1-minute walk from Exit A1 of Tsukijishijo Station on the Toei Oedo Line, and a 1-minute walk from Exits 1 and 2 of Tsukiji Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. It is convenient to first stop by the general information center, "Plat Tsukiji." They distribute maps of the outer market and provide information on surrounding sightseeing and transportation. Assistance is also available in English. On the 1st floor of Tsukiji Uogashi, please refrain from eating and drinking; instead, use the rooftop plaza or the 3rd-floor rest area. Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple is about 200 meters to the northeast, and Namiyoke Inari-jinja Shrine is about 230 meters to the southeast.