Tsukiji Outer Market
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The neighborhood of Tsukiji is home to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market which is renowned for its tuna auctions and seafood wholesalers that took place within the Inner Market. As of October 6th, 2018 the Inner Market was shut down and relocated to Toyosu. Fortunately, the outer market around Tsukiji remained and still has much to offer.
During our first trip to Tokyo we did go through the Inner Market while it was still open. We walked down hallways lined with seafood wholesalers. It was interesting to see fish of all sizes on display from the vendors. Outside the hallways is a large outdoor loading area where small trucks and forklifts are constantly moving goods about.
Adjacent to the Inner Market are many narrow streets lined with restaurants and food stands; this is the Tsukiji Outer Market. Although the fish market has now left, this area is still thriving and is filled with both locals and tourists.
The Outer Market a fantastic place to go if you’re looking for a meal or just a snack. A wide variety of food can be found here. Every restaurant we saw was some form of a seafood restaurant. This makes sense since the restaurants would likely be supplied from the new fish market in Toyosu. This is also where Sushi Zanmai is located.
If a sit down restaurant isn’t what you want for food, there are many more street food stand options in the Outer Market. We first found a stand selling warambi mochi and bought one as was coated with roasted soybean flour. Warambi is traditionally the starch of a fern-like plant, but now mainly it uses starch from tapioca or sweet potatoes since that is easier to produce. It has a similar consistency to Jello. The warambi mochi isn’t very sweet, so it is usually covered in a sweet powder. Michelle wasn’t too thrilled with the treat, but Taylor thought it was fine.
We continued to walk the streets and then we found the real prize; ichigo daifuku. Ichigo daifuku are mochi balls that are filled with red bean (adzuki bean) paste and then has a strawberry sticking out from the middle. These are some of Michelle’s favorite street snacks to get in Japan. They’re so sweet, chewy, and tasty and the addition of the strawberry takes it to the next level.
While wandering the streets we saw so many street vendors ranging from: ice cream, wagyu beef, various croquettes, and pastries just to name a few.
Fresh fish and produce can also be bought here if needed. There are also vendors selling kitchen related products and cutlery, but the vast majority of all the shops and stands are for food.
The Tsukiji Outer Market is a fantastic place to visit if you’re wanting some fresh seafood or tasty treats. Just remember it can get busy especially during meal times.
Google Maps Link: Tsukiji Outer Market
