A 4:30am start
The alarm went off at 4:30. A mirror selfie to prove we were alive, then a cab to Toyosu (¥2,400) because the trains weren’t running yet.
The tuna auction
Toyosu is where Tokyo’s fish market moved after Tsukiji closed. You watch the auction from a glass gallery above the floor, looking down on rows and rows of frozen tuna laid out like logs.
The buyers walk up and down with their torches and little hooks, checking the cut tail of each fish. Then a bell rings and the shouting starts.
There’s also a life-size tuna model in the gallery. They’re big fish.
Sushi breakfast at Iwasa Sushi
By 6:30 we were starving. The sushi restaurants in the market open early, and we picked Iwasa Sushi.
It’s sushi at its freshest, at 7 in the morning. ¥9,350 for the two of us, our most expensive breakfast ever and worth it.
The market shops
After breakfast we walked through the market’s shopping street: knives, tea, dried fish, and one Rilakkuma who came along for the whole trip.
A kopi from the vending machine (¥150) and a long corridor later, we were out. Onward to teamLab Planets, next door!
Information About Toyosu Market
Tokyo's wholesale fish market since it moved from Tsukiji in 2018. The tuna auction runs from about 5:30am and you can watch it for free from the glass gallery above the floor.
PS: Go early: the auction is over by about 6:30. The market is closed on Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays.