Tokyo — Tsukiji established 1935; Toyosu opened 2018; tuna auction tradition continuous from Tsukiji to Toyosu
The Tsukiji Fish Market (closed October 2018, relocated to Toyosu) was for 83 years the largest wholesale fish market in the world and the beating heart of Tokyo's — and Japan's — seafood culture. Its replacement, Toyosu Market (豊洲市場), opened on Tokyo Bay's artificial island in 2018 with the same wholesale function but a different architecture and access: the tuna auction, once openly visible to licensed spectators, now operates behind glass in a temperature-controlled viewing gallery. Tsukiji's outer market (jogai shijo) retail area — which predates the wholesale market's closure — continues to operate along the original streets, selling fresh seafood, dried goods, kitchen equipment, and sushi/sashimi to the public. Toyosu's tuna auction begins at 5:30am with the world's most intense fish buying: premium hon-maguro (Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis) from Aomori's Oma Fishing Port or Iki Island in Nagasaki are assessed by buyers using torch-light examination of tail core samples (the fatty acid distribution, colour, and texture visible in the cut cross-section predict the entire fish's value). The first auction of the New Year (hatsu-uri, usually January 5) produces record prices for premium tuna — the ceremonial first fish's price reflects prestige, media attention, and restaurant marketing as much as market economics. The Toyosu auction price record for a single tuna is ¥333.6 million (2020, 276kg tuna, purchased by Kiyoshi Kimura of Sushizanmai).
The pre-dawn cold of a fish market, the torch-light examination of a 200kg bluefin tuna's tail — the moment before the food, when its fate is decided by expertise alone
{"Tuna core sample assessment (sekkaku): buyers examine colour (red indicates freshness and high myoglobin), fat distribution (visible white marbling in the core), and texture (firmness indicates quality) from a small plug taken from the tail","Oma-maguro (tuna from Oma, Aomori) is the benchmark premium designation — individual fish are marketed by port of origin, boat name, and catch date","The hatsu-uri first auction price is not market price but a ceremonial bid — the winning bidder receives media coverage worth far more than the price paid","Toyosu is a controlled-environment wholesale market — retail visitors access the outer market area; the wholesale floor requires industry credentials","The tuna grading system (A+, A, B) applied by the Tsukiji/Toyosu auction is subjective expertise, not standardised measurement — buyer experience is the instrument"}
{"Tsukiji outer market at 7–9am is the optimal time — the best sushi restaurants and tamagoyaki shops are freshest and least crowded before the tourist peak","The authentic way to experience Toyosu is with a licensed buyer or restaurant chef — a guided procurement visit where the buyer assesses and purchases on the floor provides an education unavailable in any viewing gallery","The dried goods section of Tsukiji outer market (katsuobushi, kombu, dried shiitake) is as important as the fresh fish section — the best artisan dried goods suppliers are concentrated there"}
{"Confusing Tsukiji outer market (still operating, open to public) with Tsukiji wholesale market (closed 2018, moved to Toyosu)","Arriving at Toyosu tuna auction viewing without pre-registration — the viewing gallery requires advance registration and is limited to 120 visitors per session"}
Theodore Bestor — Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World; Toyosu Market official documentation