11 of the Best Things to Do in Tsukiji (Tokyo)

One of the best ways to experience the Tsukiji Outer Market is to just wander through the food market and sample snacks and dishes that catch your eye.

In Japanese ‘kuidaore’ is the term for eating yourself broke. Eating until faced with bankruptcy may seem dramatic, but after spending a little time wandering through Tsukiji, you’ll agree that it seems like a possible scenario.

Scattered around the Outer market you’ll find an endless array of food stalls selling iconic Japanese snacks, delicious fish cakes, onigiri (rice balls) and tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), as well as a whole bunch of foods you didn’t even know existed.

If you’re after a heartier meal, consider grabbing a bowl of ramen, donburi or seafood miso soup, as well as sashimi and sushi with a vast range of different fillings.

And if that’s not enough, the Tsukiji Outer Market also has an enticing range of sweets on offer, including the local favorite, strawberry daifuku a mochi (rice) dumplings.

Read more:
・The Street Food of Tsukiji’s Outer Market

Tsukiji Outer Market Shopping street

Tokyo Chiyoda-ku

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Tosei Hotel COCONE Tsukiji Ginza Premier

6-chome-23-8 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045

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A good place to begin your visit to the Tsukiji Outer Market is the Plat Tsukiji Information Center, which is located along Namiyoke Dori near the A1 Exit of Tsukijishijo Station.

Here you’ll find an information booth where you can pick up a map of the Tsukiji Market, with English-speaking volunteers available to assist and free Wi-Fi if you want to do your own research.

There's coin lockers to store your luggage if you want to be hands-free while roaming the market, an ATM and currency exchange machine, as well as a duty-free service desk.

There’s also a rest area where you can sit down and take a break, as well as toilets and a smoking area with capsuled toy vending machines.

Official Website: Tax-Refund Service

Tsukiji Outer Market Plat Tsukiji Information Center

Tokyo Chuo-ku Tsukiji 4-16-2 Sen Yashiro Nuka Building 1F

[Weekday, Saturday]8:00-14:0…

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The market is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways home to eateries, shops, and hidden sights, so don’t be afraid to go a little off the grid. You might just find something unexpected.

Tsukiji Masamoto - Knife store

If you want to purchase knives where Tokyo’s professional chefs do, then head to Tsukiji Masamoto. Their team has been crafting knives for over 150 years, with the family-owned business founded in the late Edo period.

Today, it’s headed by their 6th-generation owner, Misao Hirano, who’s a wealth of information on all things to do with knives.

You can browse their impressive selection of knives and have your name engraved on some models. Alternatively, why not request a custom blade to order, which will be shipped to your home address.

Just know that more than 70% of Tsukiji Masamoto’s customers are professional cooks, chefs or butchers. Worrying about the quality is unnecessary.

Ichifuji - Pottery shop

If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind Japanese gift or souvenir, then make a point of visiting Ichifuji; a pottery store that’s been in business since 1951. It’s located in Uogashi ichiba, next to Odawarabashitou, with more than 20,000 pieces of ceramics, lacquerware and tableware items on sale from across Japan.

Highlights include Arita-yaki from Saga prefecture, Mino-yaki from Gifu, and Echizen-Nuri that is made in Fukui, with the shop known for its affordable prices. Ichifuji supplies tableware to many sushi bars and izakaya bars around the country, which is a testament to the store’s quality and reputation.

Tsukiji Masamoto Head Office

Tokyo Chuo-ku Tsukiji 4-chome 9-9

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Ichifuji

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Tokyo Chuou-ku Tsukiji 4-14-14

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Tosei Hotel COCONE Tsukiji Ginza Premier

6-chome-23-8 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045

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Tsukiji Sushi Ichiban

If you’re looking for somewhere to take a break and eat some of the delicious seafood you’ve seen on display, then this sushi restaurant will do the trick.

Aside from the myriad sushi options that you can peruse on their English menu, they also dish up donburi bowls and hearty seafood miso soups.

Tsukiji Sushi Ichiban also hosts a regular tuna cutting show where you can watch their skilled chefs cut an entire tuna into otoro (fatty) and chu-toro (semi-fatty) parts.

It’s incredible to see the knife action of the chefs up close, then sample some of the freshest tuna you’ll ever taste.

Ebi Kin

Another popular restaurant in the Tsukiji Outer Market is Ebi Kin, which is distinguished by its red exterior. It’s famed for its shrimp soba (Ramen) noodles that are served with a side of crispy ‘gyoza’ (fried Japanese dumplings).

You can order their dishes using the vending machine out the front of the shop, then step inside where you’ll find just 13 seats surrounding the counter.

Aside from shrimps, their soba noodles also feature slices of roasted pork, green onions and radish sprouts, together with a soft-boiled egg. If you’re still hungry once you’ve eaten your noodles, pass your bowl to the chef who will create a shrimp potage by adding fresh rice to the leftover ramen broth for free.

Turret Coffee

If you need a hit of caffeine to start your day at the Tsukiji Outer Market, then there’s no better place than Turret Coffee, which has been here since 2013.

It’s named after the “turret” mini-trucks that zip around the market and is renowned for its quality espresso coffee served in a trend-setting space.

Their signature menu item is the Turret Latte. This features a double shot of espresso and is decorated with beautiful latte art. It’s perfectly complemented by their dorayaki (pancakes filled with red bean paste) that you can enjoy while seated on the back of an actual “turret” truck.

築地すし一番 築地場外市場中央店

東京都中央区築地4-13-15

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築地 えび金

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The reason countless visitors make the walk to the Tsukiji market every single day is in large part because the market is as much an entertainment district as it is a dining hotspot.

Unique characters, hardworking vendors and expert chefs call Tsukiji home, and there’s no better way to learn about the city’s food scene than watching the locals in action.

Tamagoyaki ‘Yamachou’

Part of the Tsukiji experience is the food spectacle, with plenty of opportunities to see food at various stages of preparation.

One of the most famous destinations is Yamachou, which stands at a wide corner of the market where you can watch their chefs creating tamagoyaki (a sweet egg omelet). They skillfully manage square pans simultaneously, pouring in eggs and tilting the pans to create layer after layer.

And the best part? Getting to taste their creations at the end, which are served piping hot on a stick and with a side of ground radish known as ‘daikon oroshi’.

Matcha Stand Maruni Tokyo Tsukiji

A very new addition to Tsukiji’s local culinary community, Matcha Stand Maruni Tokyo Tsukiji opened late this year but is already quickly gaining popularity as a favorite local hangout.

Design wise the cafe is a hybrid of a modern coffee shop crossed with a classical tea house style interior. Bringing old-world Japanese charm into a modern everyday setting, Matcha Stand Maruni makes their photogenic matcha lattes by using traditional tea ceremony methods.

If you’ve wanted to enjoy matcha tea but can’t quite handle the original drink’s bitterness, or want a little afternoon pick me up, pop by to grab a latte to go. Also, don’t worry if you’re a bit nervous about your Japanese skills, most of the staff speak English.

Tsukiji Yamacho

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Tokyo Chuou-ku Tsukiji 4-16-2

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MATCHA STAND MARUNI

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If you’re a fan of soccer and want to see Japan’s national team in action, then head to the Uogashi shokudō (food court) on the third floor of the Tsukiji Uogashi Odawarabashito building.

They’ll be broadcasting international games featuring the Japanese team here, accompanied by delicious food and fresh seafood dishes.

It’s a great place to experience Japanese food while meeting like-minded Japanese soccer fans. All games that are broadcast will be accompanied by special exhibits of sporting memorabilia that you can check out before or after.

Tsukiji Fish Market, Odawara-bashi Building

Tokyo Chuou-ku Tsukiji 6-26-1

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After exploring the Tsukiji Outer Market, why not spend some time wandering through the surrounding streets. It’s here that you’ll find the Tsukiji Hongwanji, a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple that was rebuilt following a fire in the 1930s.

It’s renowned for its distinctive architecture, with a domed roof and archways that are reminiscent of South Asian temples and Indian palaces. A lot more contemporary than the city’s other religious hubs, Tsukiji Honganji is also famous for being the memorial site and resting place of X-Japan musician and J-Rock legend Hide (Hideto Matsumoto) whose funeral ceremony was held here in 1998.

Tsukiji Hongwanji

Tokyo Chuou-ku Tsukiji 3-15-1

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Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Drink Half Day Tour

¥14,000

Update date：2024/04/25

Another local religious landmark is the Tsukiji Namiyoke Jinja, a Shinto shrine whose name translates to “protection from waves”. It was established on reclaimed land following the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 and has become a guardian shrine for the Tsukiji marketplace and its vendors.

Legend says that when it was being built, rough waves prevented the ground from settling and it was only following prayers by the locals to the deity of Uganomitama-no-Mikoto that the sea eased up.

Wander through the courtyard that’s decorated with plaques and carvings that have been donated by various traders from the market while enjoying a respite from the bustling streets outside.

Read more:
・Where to go in Tsukiji

Tsukiji Namiyoke Jinja shrine

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Tosei Hotel COCONE Tsukiji Ginza Premier

6-chome-23-8 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045

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Officially named the Church of St. Joseph, the Tsukiji Catholic Church was founded by missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society in 1874. It was the first Catholic church to be built in Tokyo and has long been a center for missionaries working in Japan.

It served as a cathedral until 1920 when the local bishop moved to St. Mary’s Cathedral and was recently designated as a cultural asset and historic structure by the Tokyo Metropolitan Scenic Ordinance.

Catholic Tsukiji Church

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Another place where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the Tsukiji Market, is at the Hama Rikyu Gardens; situated at the mouth of the Sumida River.

This picturesque park once served as the falcon hunting grounds of the Shōgun Tokugawa family and was remodeled as a public garden in 1945.

It centers around a scenic pond with a plum tree grove, a peony garden, and a tea house where you can sip on matcha and chow down on Japanese sweets.

The Hama Rikyu Gardens are served by a water bus that connects to Asakusa, Odaiba and so on.

Hama-rikyu Gardens

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Tokyo Chuou-ku Hamarikyuteien

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While Osaka’s famous for its okonomiyaki, Tokyo has it’s own version known as monjayaki, with an entire street - Tsukushima Monja Street - dedicated to the dish.

Monjayaki is comprised of a thin batter made with flour and dashi (Japanese stock) and topped with numerous ingredients that include seafood and vegetables.

Monja Street boasts more than 100 restaurants dedicated to monjayaki and with self-serve griddles, so you can cook them just how you like. It’s located just across the bridge from Tsukiji and features an atmosphere of old Tokyo, with twinkling lights overlooking the city’s canals.

Tsukishima Monja Association

Tokyo Chuou-ku Tsukishima 1-8-1-103

0335321990

11:00-19:00

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平安旅馆和风

中央区佃2-7-5平安旅馆 Tokyo