Is Tsukiji Fish Market still open?

Yes - the part most visitors want never left. The wholesale inner market and its tuna auction moved to Toyosu in October 2018, but Tsukiji's outer market - roughly 400 food shops, stalls and restaurants - stayed and is busier than ever. 'Tsukiji closed' headlines refer to the old wholesale site, now a construction zone being redeveloped through the 2040s.

Where is the tuna auction now?

At Toyosu Market, about 2.5 km east of Tsukiji. Watching from the free 2nd-floor walkway needs no booking and has no cap; the close-up deck is allocated by a free monthly lottery of 100 people per day. There has been no auction at Tsukiji since 2018.

What days is Tsukiji closed?

Most shops close Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays - but it is shop-by-shop, the market publishes exact dates monthly, and there are special trading days when 'always closed' days open (in 2026: 6 May, 23 September and Sunday 27 December). Five different calendars govern the two markets' facilities; check the specific date, not a rule of thumb.

What time should I go to Tsukiji?

Between 8 and 11 a.m. on a weekday. Shops open from about 5-7 a.m., professionals have priority until 9, the crush peaks 11-13, and fresh seafood shops start shuttering around 2 p.m. Saturdays are the most crowded day; Sundays run a reduced, later-opening lineup.

How much does eating at Tsukiji cost?

A satisfying graze runs about 2,000-4,000 yen: tamagoyaki skewers a few hundred yen, seafood bowls roughly 1,500-4,000, premium uni bowls far more. A famous sushi counter breakfast at Toyosu is around 5,500 yen. Carry cash - most stalls prefer it, though card acceptance is patchier folklore than reality: some shops even run cashless-only.

Is Tsukiji worth visiting after the move?

Yes - arguably more than before for eaters. What moved was the wholesale trade; what stayed is the eating, shopping and craft (knife shops, dried-goods lanes, the guardian shrine). Pair Tsukiji's outer market with a Toyosu auction dawn and you get both halves of the story in one morning.

Do I need a tour of Tsukiji?

No - entry is free and this guide covers the mechanics. Tours earn their fee in specific cases: dawn auction logistics at Toyosu, eating with context (tastings-included walks), or sushi-making classes. Guide-fee-only walks start around 13 US dollars; tastings-included formats run 80-100 dollars.

Did Tsukiji ask tourists to stay away?

In December 2025 the market association asked visitors to avoid the year-end shopping crush and asked operators to pause guided food strolls that month - a December-only request, the first ever, and it has not been reissued as of August 2026. The chairman's suggested rhythm: shoppers in the morning, visitors from around noon.

Can I bring a suitcase or stroller to Tsukiji?

Store them: the lanes are too narrow and crowded. The Plat Tsukiji information centre has coin lockers including suitcase size and stroller storage for 500 yen - but everything must be retrieved by 4 p.m. when the building closes. Toyosu, by contrast, has no lockers or stroller storage at all.

Where can I buy a Japanese kitchen knife at Tsukiji?

The knife houses stayed after 2018 - Aritsugu, Masamoto, Sugimoto, Nenohi - and Tojiro opened a new gallery in December 2025. Engraving is usually same-day if you arrive before noon. Knives must fly in checked luggage, and from 1 November 2026 Japan's tax-free system switches to airport refunds - our shopping guide covers the sequence.

What is Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai?

A 2024 Edo-styled food-and-onsen complex beside Toyosu Market, with a 24-hour hot-spring bath. It has no closing days, which makes it the reliable answer when the markets are shut. Honest verdict: a polished tourist food hall - fun, not a substitute for Tsukiji's working lanes.

Is there anything to see at Tsukiji besides food?

Yes: Namiyoke Inari, the market's guardian shrine with memorial mounds erected by the trades to the creatures they sell; Tsukiji Hongan-ji, the striking Indian-styled temple (main hall open through its works, until late 2026); the knife and dried-goods craft lanes; and the 1927 bridge pillars that are the last visible piece of the old market.

Tsukiji or Toyosu - which should I visit?

Both, in one morning, if you can wake early: auction at Toyosu from 5:30, then Tsukiji as it hits stride at 9. If you only pick one and you care about eating and atmosphere, pick Tsukiji. If you care about the auction, the wholesale spectacle or a rainy day, pick Toyosu - it is fully indoor.

Is the seafood at Tsukiji safe to eat?

As safe as raw fish gets - the stalls turn over stock fast. Two real notes: anisakis exists in raw fish everywhere in Japan (a few hundred cases a year nationally, zero deaths in recent years) and is killed by freezing, not by wasabi or vinegar; and in summer heat, eat purchased sashimi promptly - the information centre sells coolant packs for taking goods home.

Tsukiji Fish Market in 2026: What's Still There, What Moved, What to Eat

Tsukiji didn't close. It split in two — and this guide covers both halves.

In 2018 the tuna auction moved to Toyosu; the eating stayed at Tsukiji, where 400-odd shops still open before dawn. Half the internet hasn't caught up. This site runs on the official Japanese sources — exact 2026 closed dates, real dish prices with capture dates, the auction lottery mechanics — and keeps a running wall of the myths other guides still print.

Verified 2 Aug 2026 · 18 pages · every time-sensitive fact carries its date · we earn a commission on tour bookings — how we pick them

TL;DR — the three things that fix most Tsukiji plans

Two markets, one morning. The tuna auction is at Toyosu (5:30 a.m., free walkway); the eating is at Tsukiji (hits stride at 9). They're 15 minutes apart and pair perfectly.
Check the date, not the rule of thumb. Five calendars govern these markets, "closed Sundays" has exceptions, and the official page shows the wrong month for dates too far out — our calendar page has the exact 2026 dates.
Go early, carry cash, store the suitcase. Pros have priority until 9, fresh stalls shutter from 2 p.m., and the Plat Tsukiji lockers close at 4 sharp.

The myth wall — things guides still print

Every claim below is stored verbatim from circulating guides and corrected from an official source. It's the fastest way to check whether whatever you read elsewhere is current.

“Tsukiji Fish Market closed in 2018”

The wholesale half moved. The outer market's 400-odd shops never closed — what actually happened.

“Watch the tuna auction at Tsukiji”

At Toyosu since 2018 — free walkway, no booking. The mechanics.

“Sushi Dai is in the outer market”

It's a name collision: the famous counter moved to Toyosu; a separate Sushi Dai Honkan trades at Tsukiji. Both explained.

“Closed every Sunday and holiday”

Special trading days exist (three in 2026, including a Sunday), and Sunday runs a real reduced lineup. Exact dates.

“The market shuts down Dec 30–Jan 4”

Backwards: 25–30 Dec is the outer market's peak week — the wholesale market closes for New Year. Year-end truth.

“Tsukiji banned tourists and tours”

A December-2025, operator-targeted request — not reissued since. The chairman's actual ask was a time-share. The real story.

“It's cash-only”

Cash-first, not cash-only — we measured all 333 listed shops; some are even cashless-only. The numbers.

“Aritsugu has been at Tsukiji since 1560”

That lineage is Kyoto's. Tsukiji Aritsugu dates to 1918 — still venerable, differently. The knife houses.

Plan the morning

05:15First train to Shijō-mae for the auction walkway — or sleep in and start at step three with zero regret.

07:00Auction seen; queue ticket taken at the famous counters, or breakfast at the 4 a.m. cafés.

09:00Cross to Tsukiji as pro-priority ends — 15 minutes by train. The food crawl begins.

11:00Crush builds. Shift to the knife and dried-goods lanes, or the shrine's memorial mounds.

13:00Late lunch as day-trippers peak — then Hama-rikyu gardens or Ginza, ten minutes away.

14:00Fresh stalls shutter. If the day went sideways (rain, closures): Senkyaku Banrai never closes.

Booking a December trip? Read visiting responsibly first — the year-end crush has its own etiquette, and in 2025 the market formally asked tour operators to pause that month.

When a tour genuinely beats DIY

Both markets are free and this site is the manual — so we'll say it plainly: most visitors don't need a tour. Three cases where paying wins:

The auction dawn. Transit barely works at 5 a.m. and the bidding is unreadable without help — exactly what the auction-morning products solve (from ~$115, breakfast queues included).

Eating with context. A tastings-included walk (~$80–100) buys stall relationships and stories; the $13 guide-fee-only walks buy orientation at pocket money.

Making, not just eating. Sushi classes (from ~$50) are the rainy-day and kids answer — and the format that doesn't crowd the lanes.

All 20 tours that survived our filter — from 133 scraped — are in the catalogue with honest per-card notes, including which auction listing's small print contradicts Tokyo's official schedule.

FAQ — what visitors actually ask

Yes — the eating half never left. The wholesale market and auction moved to Toyosu in 2018; Tsukiji's outer market thrives. "Tsukiji closed" refers to the old wholesale site, now being redeveloped.

At Toyosu, 2.5 km east: free walkway (no booking, no cap) from 05:00, lottery deck for 100/day. Full mechanics on the auction page.

Mostly Sundays, holidays and some Wednesdays — but it's shop-by-shop, five calendars are in play, and special trading days open "closed" days. Exact 2026 dates here.

8–11 a.m., weekday. Pros have priority until 9; the crush peaks 11–13; fresh stalls shutter from 14:00. Saturdays are the busiest; Sunday runs a later, reduced lineup.

¥2,000–4,000 for a proper graze; the famous sushi counters ~¥5,500. Dish-by-dish prices with capture dates on the food page. Carry cash — but see the measured payment reality.

More than before, for eaters. The trade moved; the food, craft and shrine stayed. Pair it with a Toyosu dawn for the whole story in one morning.

No — and we sell them. Pay only for the dawn (auction logistics), eating with context, or a class. The catalogue states the free baseline first.

In December 2025 the association asked visitors to skip the year-end crush and operators to pause food strolls that month — first ever, December-only, not reissued since. The full story, including the time-share the chairman actually proposed.

Store them at Plat Tsukiji (lockers incl. suitcase size, strollers ¥500) and retrieve by 16:00 sharp. Toyosu has neither — plan accordingly.

The houses that stayed: Aritsugu, Masamoto, Sugimoto, Nenohi, plus Tojiro's new gallery. Engraving before noon; knives fly checked; the Nov 2026 tax-free switch changes the airport sequence — the full guide.

The Edo-styled food hall + 24h onsen by Toyosu Market. No closing days — the wet-weather and closed-Wednesday answer. Honest verdict here.

Namiyoke's memorial mounds and Hongan-ji's Indian-style hall, the craft lanes, and the 1927 bridge pillars — the old market's last visible trace.

Both in one morning if you can wake at 4:30. Otherwise: eaters pick Tsukiji; auction-chasers and rainy days pick Toyosu (fully indoor).

As safe as raw fish gets — fast turnover. Know that anisakis is killed by freezing, not wasabi (a persistent myth), and summer takeaway needs the coolant packs Plat Tsukiji sells.

Tsukiji didn't close. It split in two — and this guide covers both halves.

TL;DR — the three things that fix most Tsukiji plans

Two markets, one story

The outer market never left

The auction, done right

Dish by dish

What actually moved

Explore the district

Knives & shopping

Shrine & temple

Senkyaku Banrai

Classes & experiences

The myth wall — things guides still print

Plan the morning

When a tour genuinely beats DIY

FAQ — what visitors actually ask