Toyosu Tuna Auction
A guided 5 a.m. morning at the viewing windows above the wholesale floor, reading the bell and the buyers' hand signals together.
Open this tour ↗The market that replaced Tsukiji
The market that replaced Tsukiji
A move, not a shutdown
Tokyo's wholesale fish market left its old site at Tsukiji and reopened at Toyosu on 11 October 2018, after decades of planning. The new site, on reclaimed land in Koto City, is almost twice the size of the old one — Tsukiji's outer market of shops and sushi counters stayed where it was, but the wholesale trading floor itself is here now.
Watching the auction costs nothing
Toyosu Market runs a free upper viewing deck that anyone can use without booking, and a lower observation deck you can apply for in advance on the market's own website, with a lottery when it's oversubscribed. No ticket is needed to watch the bell ring and the bidding start — what a guided morning like this adds is someone who can read the hand signals for you, walk you through the market afterwards and get you a seat at a sushi counter.
Why it moved at all
Tsukiji's wholesale market opened in 1935 to replace an older fish market destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, and by the time it closed the buildings were worn out and too cramped for modern refrigerated trucks. Toyosu was purpose-built for the job: enclosed, temperature-controlled halls instead of Tsukiji's open-air sheds.
What's actually being sold
Most of the auction floor's star attraction is Pacific bluefin tuna, a fish that can grow past two metres and is prized above all for the fatty cuts used in sushi. A single exceptional bluefin has sold here for over three million US dollars at a single January auction — not an ordinary morning's price, but a sign of how seriously Tokyo's dealers take it.
The morning, stop by stop
The morning, stop by stop
A guided visit from the dark streets outside to the sushi counter, built around when the market actually moves.
- 01 Before dawn
Meeting in the dark
Your guide meets you at one of three points around Toyosu depending on your option, with the market still lit against a black sky.
- 02 Into the market
Onto the observation deck
Standard viewing is from the upper visitor deck, a long window above the floor; the exclusive option takes a small group to the lower observation deck, behind glass at floor level, arranged in advance.
- 03 The bell
The bell and the bidding
A handbell starts each round. Buyers raise fingers and flick hand signals across the rows of tuna in seconds — fast enough that it looks like nothing is happening until a fish is sold.
- 04 Reading it
The hand-signal lesson
Your guide breaks down the te-jirushi signals buyers use to bid, so the next round actually makes sense instead of passing in a blur.
- 05 The walk
The market walk
A walk through the specialty shops around the wholesale halls — knife sellers, tea merchants, shops supplying professional kitchens — plus the chance to buy fish yourself, with your guide helping you choose and negotiate.
- 06 Breakfast
The breakfast queue
If your option includes it, the morning ends with a reservation at Sushi Dai (cash only) or Bentomi (cards accepted) — the meal itself isn't included in the tour price, and menus depend on the day's catch.
The tour doesn't run on Wednesdays, Sundays or Japanese public holidays. Exact timings shift with how early you're collected and which viewing option you've booked.
What you can do on the floor
What you can do on the floor
Two ways to watch the auction, a hands-on walk through the market, and a breakfast reservation that's yours to pay for separately.
Exclusive — lower observation deck
Max 4 guests, booked in advance, standing close to the auction rows themselves. This is the option this tour's secondary link opens.
Standard — upper viewing deck
A panoramic window above the floor, with your guide explaining the flow of the auction and the buyers' signals as it happens below.
The fish-purchasing experience
Buy fish yourself with your guide's help; a sushi chef nearby can prepare it for an extra fee, or you can take it with you.
The specialty shops
Knife shops, tea merchants and stores supplying Tokyo's professional kitchens line the streets around the wholesale halls — worth the extra twenty minutes.
Sushi Dai
A Michelin Guide-listed counter inside the market. Cash only, and the queue is real — the tour includes a reservation there (the meal itself is extra).
Bentomi
The second breakfast option on this tour, taking credit cards, for guests who'd rather not carry cash before 7 a.m.
Standard or exclusive viewing
Two ways to watch the same auction
| Option | What it gives you | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Standard — upper viewing deck | A panoramic window above the whole floor, with your guide explaining the auction and the hand signals as they happen. | Most groups, and anyone who'd rather not commit to an advance request. |
| Exclusive — lower observation deck | A small group of up to 4 guests on the deck closest to the auction rows, booked ahead of time. | Couples and small groups who want to be close to the bell and the bidding. |
| With a breakfast reservation | Your guide's reservation at Sushi Dai (cash only) or Bentomi (cards OK) after the market walk; the meal itself is paid for separately. | Anyone who wants the morning to end at a counter, not a coffee cart. |
See the exclusive lower observation deck option on this same tour ↗
This morning on GetYourGuide
The tuna auction tour
The auction tour below, plus more of what Tokyo's Tsukiji outer-market neighbourhood and wider food scene offer on GetYourGuide.
More Tokyo mornings on GetYourGuide
Before you set an alarm
Before you set an alarm
Meeting points
There are three possible meeting points around Toyosu depending on which option you book; your confirmation tells you which one.
Who it suits
Guests must be 10 or older. The tour isn't suitable for wheelchair users or for vegetarians, and the operator can't take halal or gluten-free requests.
Dress warmly
The auction halls are refrigerated. Treat it like a cold morning outdoors even in summer, and dress in layers you can add to before dawn.
On the day
Your guide stays reachable by WhatsApp on the morning itself, in case your hotel pickup or the meeting point needs last-minute adjusting.
Getting to Toyosu
Transport to the market isn't included and is optional — most guests make their own way by train or taxi to the meeting point.
Days the market is closed
The tour doesn't run on Wednesdays, Sundays or Japanese public holidays — check the calendar before you pick a date.
Read before you go
Read before you go
the morning in order
A Toyosu tuna auction morning, from meeting point to breakfast
How a guided visit to the wholesale market usually unfolds, before most of Tokyo is awake.
Open this note → watching for freeThe free gallery, the market's own lottery and what a guide actually adds
You can watch the Toyosu auction without paying anyone. Here's what's free, what's a lottery, and why some visitors book a guide anyway.
Open this note → how the bidding worksThe hand-signal auction, explained
What's actually happening in the seconds between the bell and a tuna changing hands.
Open this note → the breakfast choiceSushi Dai or Bentomi: what to know before you choose
Two breakfast reservations on the same tour, with different queues, payment rules and menus.
Open this note → beyond the auctionThe market walk: what's worth your twenty minutes
Toyosu isn't only the auction floor — the specialty shops around it are where professional cooks actually shop.
Open this note → planning your morningWho this tour suits, and who should think twice
Ages, mobility, diet and the days the market simply isn't running — what to check before you book.
Open this note →FAQ
Before your 5 a.m. start
Do I need a ticket to watch the tuna auction?
No. Toyosu Market has a free upper viewing deck with no booking needed, and the lower observation deck can be applied for in advance on the market's own website, with a lottery when it's oversubscribed. This tour isn't a ticket to watch — it's a guide who reads the auction for you, arranges the viewing for a small group, and leads the market walk and breakfast afterwards.
What's the difference between the standard and exclusive viewing?
Standard viewing is from the upper visitor deck, a long window above the whole floor. The exclusive option takes a small group of up to 4 guests to the lower observation deck, behind glass at floor level, and needs an advance enquiry.
Is breakfast included?
No. Your guide can reserve a seat at Sushi Dai (cash only) or Bentomi (cards accepted), but the meal itself is paid for separately and menus depend on the season and the day's catch.
Can children join?
Guests need to be 10 or older. The tour also isn't suitable for wheelchair users.
What about dietary requirements?
The operator can't accommodate vegetarian, halal or gluten-free requests on this tour.
Which days does the tour not run?
The tour doesn't run on Wednesdays, Sundays or Japanese public holidays, so rule those days out when you pick a date.
Wasn't the famous tuna auction at Tsukiji?
It was, until the wholesale market and its auction moved to Toyosu on 11 October 2018. Tsukiji's outer market of shops and restaurants is still there, but the auction itself has been held at Toyosu for years now.
What should I wear?
Dress warmly — the auction halls are refrigerated, so it feels like a cold morning even in summer. Layers you can add before dawn and take off later work best.
Before the city wakes, stand on the deck above Tokyo's wholesale floor and watch a bell sell a fish.
Reserve the tuna auction tour ↗This is the lowest per-person starting price; pick your date and group size on GetYourGuide and it totals the fare in your own currency before checkout.