Tokyo: Toyosu & Tsukiji Tuna Auction with Private Guide

Watch Buyers Bid on Bluefin Tuna Before Breakfast in Tokyo

You watch professional tuna buyers bid on bluefin at Toyosu Market, then eat your way through sushi, grilled eel, and matcha at both Toyosu and Tsukiji Outer Market with a private English-speaking guide. The tour includes entry to both markets and food tastings. You handle no tickets, no timing, no language barrier. Bookings can happen last-minute, and the guide confirms everything via WhatsApp before you go.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Toyosu and Tsukiji Markets

• Visit Toyosu Market observation deck
• Watch tuna auction from 1st or 2nd floor
• See fresh seafood and produce
• Try sushi, matcha, mochi, grilled eel, tamago
• Shop for Japanese knives and pottery
• Explore Tsukiji Outer Market stalls
• Enjoy street food and buy souvenirs

The experience

You're standing in a Tokyo market at 5am wondering if you're actually going to see a tuna auction happen, or if it's one of those things that sounds better in the description. Toyosu Market is where the action is. It's Tokyo's largest wholesale market now, the place that took over from the old Tsukiji location, and the tuna auction runs year-round. Your private guide meets you early, and you head straight to the viewing area. If you booked by the 5th of the previous month and won the lottery, you're on the 1st floor watching professional buyers move through rows of bluefin tuna, evaluating each one with this quiet intensity: running their hands along the fish, checking the color, nodding or shaking their heads. It's not theatrical. It's work, and it's fast.

After the auction winds down, you move through Toyosu's main market floor where the energy shifts. Vendors are setting up, the smell of grilled eel and fresh sashimi starts filling the air, and your guide steers you toward the stalls where you actually eat. Sushi, matcha, mochi, tamago: the real stuff, not a tourist version of it. Then comes Tsukiji Outer Market, the older, smaller sibling that still has that neighborhood feel. The vendors here know their regulars, and they're used to travelers, but it doesn't feel manufactured. You can pick up a Japanese knife if you want one, or a pottery piece, or a matcha whisk. The kind of thing you'd actually use at home instead of letting it sit on a shelf. The guide handles the logistics, so you're not negotiating prices or trying to figure out what's fresh. You just walk and eat and look.

The whole thing is private. It's your group, your pace, your guide on WhatsApp before the tour to confirm timing. Last-minute bookings are fine, which means you can decide the night before if you want to wake up early. If you didn't win the 1st-floor lottery (or if you're traveling in December when they don't run it), you still see the auction from the 2nd floor: different angle, same tuna, same buyers doing their thing. Bring your passport or ID if you won the lottery. Otherwise just bring yourself and an appetite.

What’s included

Your day includes a private English-speaking guide, entry to both Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Outer Market, food tastings (sushi, matcha, mochi, grilled eel, tamago), and access to the tuna auction viewing area. The guide arranges everything and communicates with you via WhatsApp before the tour.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except Wednesday and SundayDeparts at 05:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Child (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcome

Operated by MACHI TOUR JAPAN

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see a real Tokyo market auction and eat well without figuring out the language, the timing, or which stalls are worth your money. The private guide takes care of all three, which is what makes an early morning feel like a plan instead of a gamble.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 6): free.

What time does the tuna auction start?

The auction happens early morning. Your guide will confirm the exact start time via WhatsApp based on your booking date.

Can I see the tuna auction if I don't win the lottery?

Yes. If you don't win the 1st-floor lottery, you watch from the 2nd floor. In December, all viewings are from the 2nd floor since the lottery doesn't run then.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. Both markets have wheelchair-accessible areas and surfaces, and transportation options are wheelchair accessible.

What if I book last-minute?

Last-minute bookings are OK. Your guide will contact you via WhatsApp to confirm the tour details and timing.

What's included in the food tastings?

You'll try sushi, matcha, mochi, grilled eel, and tamago at the markets. Your guide will take you to the best stalls.

Can I buy souvenirs?

Yes. Both markets have vendors selling Japanese knives, pottery, chopsticks, matcha whisks, wasabi graters, and other items.

Do I need to book by a certain date to see the 1st-floor auction?

To enter the 1st-floor lottery, book by the 5th of the previous month and register for the lottery as instructed by your guide. Otherwise, 2nd-floor viewing is always available.