Quick Answer
The Inner Market — the wholesale floor where the tuna auction happened — moved out of Tsukiji in October 2018 and is now Toyosu Market. The Outer Market — the 460+ shops, restaurants, and street-food stalls — never moved and is still very much in Tsukiji in 2026. So when someone today says 'Tsukiji Market,' they almost always mean the Outer Market that is open right now. When someone says 'tuna auction' or 'wholesale fish market,' they mean Toyosu, even if older articles still call it Tsukiji.
The naming confusion is responsible for half the bad advice on Tokyo food blogs. Below is the actually-correct breakdown of what each one is, what moved, and what you'll find at Tsukiji today.
Almost every week I have a client ask me, "Wait — isn't Tsukiji closed?" And every week I give the same answer: Tsukiji is two markets, not one, and only one of them moved. The mix-up has been around since 2018 and travel articles keep repeating it, so let me clear it up properly with what the situation actually looks like in 2026.
I'm Manabu, a nationally licensed Tokyo guide. I take clients to Tsukiji's Outer Market regularly, and I've watched the Toyosu auction more times than I can count. Both are open. Both are great. But they are now in completely different parts of Tokyo, and they serve completely different audiences.
Here's the side-by-side that I wish more travel articles got right.
Quick decision: which one are you actually looking for?
For 99% of travelers
You want the Outer Market…
- Street food, sushi counters, knife shops, tamagoyaki — all still in Tsukiji.
- 460+ shops and stalls, no reservation needed.
- Open ~5 AM to 2 PM, closed Sundays and select Wednesdays.
For the auction-curious
The "Inner Market" is now Toyosu…
- Tuna auction viewing (lottery only, ~100 visitors/day).
- Wholesale floor, modern facility on a man-made island.
- Different station entirely (Yurikamome "Shijo-mae").
What each one was, before 2018
Tsukiji was never one market. From 1935 onward, the neighborhood housed two distinct operations sharing the same area but serving different customers.
The Inner Wholesale Market (場内市場 / jōnai shijō) was a professional-only floor where licensed wholesalers auctioned and traded seafood in bulk every morning before dawn. This was the Tsukiji you saw in documentaries — the tuna auction, the turret trucks weaving through narrow aisles, thousands of tons of fish changing hands before 8 AM. It was strictly off-limits to casual visitors during prime hours, and even when tourists could observe the auction, it was on a tightly controlled basis.
The Outer Market (場外市場 / jōgai shijō) was the dense network of retail shops, restaurants, and street-food stalls that grew up around the wholesale operation over decades. These businesses served local chefs sourcing ingredients, residents buying groceries, and visitors looking for sushi and seafood at retail prices. The Outer Market was always public-facing. The food vendors, the knife shops, the matcha stands, the tamagoyaki on a stick — all of that was the Outer Market.
Geographically, the two markets sat next to each other in the Tsukiji neighborhood of Chuo Ward. Logistically, they were intertwined: the Outer Market's vendors often sourced their fish from the Inner Market's wholesalers each morning. But operationally and legally, they were two different things.
What actually changed in October 2018
After years of political delays, environmental concerns about the Toyosu site's soil, and intense debate over preserving Tsukiji's heritage, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government finally moved only the Inner Wholesale Market to a brand-new facility on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay called Toyosu. The move happened in October 2018. The wholesale floor closed at Tsukiji on a Saturday and reopened at Toyosu the following Thursday.
The Outer Market did not move. Its vendors had no reason to. Their customers — local restaurants, residents, and visitors — were still in the Tsukiji neighborhood, and Toyosu, several kilometers away on a remote man-made island, would have severed those relationships. So the Outer Market's roughly 460 shops simply stayed exactly where they had always been.
In the months after the move, some travel articles ran headlines like "Tsukiji Closes" or "Tsukiji Moves to Toyosu." Both are wrong. What closed was the Inner Market. What moved was the Inner Market. The Outer Market — the part the vast majority of tourists actually visited and remembered — never closed and never moved.
In fact, since 2018 the Outer Market has expanded slightly. New shops opened in spaces left vacant by businesses that did relocate, and the area has become noticeably more visitor-friendly with better signage, English menus, and information centers. The vendors I talk to today say the post-2018 Outer Market is in many ways stronger than before.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Tsukiji Outer Market | "Inner Market" (now Toyosu) |
|---|---|---|
| Status (2026) | Still in Tsukiji, fully open | Moved to Toyosu in Oct 2018 |
| Type | Retail shops + street food | Wholesale market + visitor floor |
| Vendors | ~460 shops & stalls | Hundreds of wholesalers; ~40 restaurants for visitors |
| Hours | ~5 AM–2 PM (varies by shop) | 5 AM–5 PM, Mon–Sat |
| Closed days | Sundays + select Wednesdays | Sundays, holidays, select Wednesdays |
| Tuna auction | No (never had one) | Yes — at Toyosu, lottery only |
| Reservation | No | Yes (auction lottery), no for restaurants |
| Access | Tsukiji Sta. (Hibiya Line) — 2 min | Shijo-mae Sta. (Yurikamome Line) |
| What you do there | Eat, browse, shop, walk around | Watch through glass; eat sushi |
What you'll actually find at Tsukiji today
Walking into Tsukiji's Outer Market in 2026 is not noticeably different from walking into it in 2017. The narrow lanes are the same. The 460+ shops are still there. The smell of charcoal grills, the rhythmic thwack of a knife breaking down a tuna loin, the sweet caramel scent of tamagoyaki — all unchanged. You'll find:
- Street food and standing counters: tamagoyaki on a stick (Yamachou for sweet, Shouro for savory), grilled scallops basted in soy butter, fresh uni in paper cups, oyster stands, wagyu skewers, and standing-sushi spots where 8–10 pieces run ¥2,000–3,000.
- Sit-down sushi and donburi: a dozen restaurants ranging from solid lunch sets at ¥1,500 up to chef's-choice courses at ¥5,000+. The lines for famous spots can be 30–60 minutes; lesser-known spots a block off the main lane are usually walk-in friendly.
- Knife shops, ceramics, dried goods: Tsukiji's knife shops supply professional kitchens across Tokyo and are world-famous for hand-forged Japanese steel. You'll also find lacquerware, traditional pickles, dried katsuobushi (bonito flakes), kombu (kelp), and Japanese tea.
- An information center (Plat Tsukiji): the official welcome point, useful for picking up a current map and confirming Wednesday closures.
The sweet spot for visiting is around 8:00 AM on a weekday (Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday work best). The grills are fired, the stalls are fully set up, and the worst of the lunch crowds haven't yet arrived. By 11:00 AM the lanes get noticeably thicker; by 1:00 PM many stalls are starting to close. For a deeper guide, see my complete Tsukiji Market Guide.
Common misconceptions I correct on tours
Three myths come up almost weekly with my clients, and they're worth flagging here.
"Tsukiji is closed." Wrong. The wholesale operation closed at Tsukiji and moved to Toyosu in October 2018. The Outer Market with 460+ shops is still in Tsukiji and very much open. If your travel article says "Tsukiji is closed," it's repeating a 2018 headline that was misleading even then.
"You need to wake up at 4 AM to see Tsukiji." That advice was for the old wholesale floor that no longer exists. The Outer Market today peaks around 8:00 to 10:00 AM. You can show up at 9:00 AM and have a full Tsukiji experience. The pre-dawn alarm clock is now only relevant if you're going to the Toyosu auction.
"The tuna auction moved to Tsukiji's Outer Market." No. The tuna auction has never been at the Outer Market. Auctions only happen at wholesale markets, and the only wholesale fish market in Tokyo is now Toyosu. The Outer Market is a retail food street and always has been.
Want a guide who can read the menus and find the best stalls?
On my Tsukiji & Ginza tour, I take you through the Outer Market the way I move through it myself — best stalls, no tourist traps, and the small-vendor stories you'd never get from a guidebook. Then we walk 15 minutes into Ginza for the perfect contrast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tsukiji's Inner Market still open?
No. The Inner Wholesale Market — the part of Tsukiji where the tuna auction took place — closed in October 2018 and reopened the same week as Toyosu Market. Toyosu is now Tokyo's official wholesale fish market. The Outer Market, however, never closed and is still in Tsukiji in 2026.
Where is the tuna auction now?
At Toyosu Fish Market, on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. To watch it, you need to win a monthly online lottery — only about 100 visitors per day are admitted, and viewing happens from a glass-walled deck around 5:30 AM. There has not been a tuna auction at Tsukiji since 2018.
Can I still eat sushi in Tsukiji?
Yes — and the sushi scene is one of the best parts of the Outer Market. Standing sushi counters serve excellent fish at retail prices (8–10 pieces for ¥2,000–3,000), and there are sit-down restaurants offering chef's-choice courses up to ¥5,000+. Several Outer Market sushi shops have decades-long reputations and are walk-in friendly outside of peak lunch hours.
Should I visit Tsukiji or Toyosu?
For most visitors, Tsukiji's Outer Market is the better experience: more food variety, more atmosphere, no reservation needed. Toyosu is the right pick if you specifically want the tuna auction or a serious sushi breakfast. If you have time for both, the strong combo is Toyosu auction at dawn → Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast → Ginza for shopping. See my full Tsukiji vs Toyosu comparison and my dedicated Toyosu vs Tsukiji Outer guide for more.
Last updated: May 2026
