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Travel + Leisure
12-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
I'm a Tokyo Local—Here's What You Should Eat, See, and Do at the Most Famous Market in Japan
Visiting a seafood market is an essential part of any trip to Japan, and Tokyo's Tsukiji Market is the grandfather of them all. Eating fatty tuna freshly sliced from a fish the size of a motorcycle, sampling deep-sea creatures you've never heard of, and taking a deep dive into the staples of Japanese cuisine are just some of the pleasures it offers. You may have heard that the wholesale fish market has moved to Toyosu (less than two miles away), but that's not the full story. Tsukiji still has plenty to enjoy. Tsukiji, located just south of Ginza's glittery retail mecca, has a history that stretches back to 1657, when a huge fire tore through Tokyo (known as "Edo" back then). During rebuilding efforts, the shogunate decided to reclaim some coastal land at the mouth of the Sumida River. This reclaimed land became Tsujiki, and it was originally intended to be a quiet residential area. However, another disaster, a massive earthquake in 1923, transformed Tsukiji into a commercial district. The Nihonbashi Fish Market (the busiest fish market in Tokyo before Tsukiji) was destroyed, so vendors relocated to Tsukiji, attracted by its access to Tokyo Bay. The Tsukiji Fish Market officially opened for business in 1935 and was at one point the largest wholesale market in the world. As Tokyo boomed in the 1980s, the narrow aisles and lack of refrigeration put the aging market under new pressures and strain. A new facility was built in nearby Toyosu for wholesale operations, including the popular predawn tuna auctions, and Tsukiji's "inner market" was torn down in 2018. However, the outer market, a warren of retail stalls and restaurants, cropped up around the former wholesale grounds and is still going strong. In fact, a new hybrid retail and wholesale market called Tsukiji Uogashi was recently built to sustain this historic neighborhood, staffed by many of the old market vendors. To give us the lay of the land, we asked Kyoko Nagano, CEO of cultural tourism operator and director of sake export and tour company Sake Lovers to share some of her favorite places in Tsukiji. Her first piece of advice? Don't forget the market still runs on the old-school schedule, with shops mostly open in the morning and early afternoon and closed on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. Here's what you need to know before planning a visit to Tsukiji Fish Market. A sushi cutting station in Tsukiji Market. Angelina Pilarinos/Travel + Leisure Food is naturally the main attraction in Tsukiji. Nagano says if you are coming for a sushi breakfast or lunch, the best bet is the Uogashi Yokocho rather than the sit-down restaurants outside. Uogashi is located on the fourth floor of the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building, and you can find around 70 specialty restaurants and shops there. 'The tuna vendors have fantastic toro (tuna) nigiri, and it's only [around] 1,000 yen for six pieces," she says. "Other places charge more than double that." Nagono recommends visiting wholesaler Kitani Suisan in particular. 'Sometimes, if you come around like 8:30 or 9:00 am, you actually get to see the tuna cutting," she says. "And if you are buying the tuna, they let you take photos of the tuna, too.' After that, simply take your purchases to the rooftop dining space, where free chopsticks and soy sauce are provided, and enjoy a budget-priced comparison of all the different tuna cuts. However, the outer market restaurants are still worth a look and Nagano suggests stopping by Sushi Yamaharu, a hidden, reservations-only sushi restaurant directly run by a market vendor. 'It's 5,500 yen for an omakase sushi course, and that's so affordable," she says. "I would say it's one of the best.' If raw fish isn't your speed, there's Unagi Shokudo, a grilled eel specialist. They offer the classic eel rice bowl, but also specialize in hitsumabushi , a serving style popular in Nagoya that involves topping the eel with green onions, wasabi, and Japanese parsley and pouring dashi over it all. Beef fans, meanwhile, should make a beeline for Wine Stand 88, a tiny counter shop that sells roast wagyu sandwiches. 'Their wagyu is cooked on the grill and pretty thick, but they only serve like 10 [sandwiches] per day,' says Nagano. 'My absolute favorite is their roast beef with uni (sea urchin) as a topping. They put a generous amount of uni on top. It's a really amazing combo.' For dessert, Nagano recommends stopping by confectionary Soratsuki, which specializes in daifuku mochi, or mochi stuffed with sweet beans. Consider getting their strawberry daifuku, which aren't just pretty to look at—they're delicious, too. A person making matcha at Jugetsudo Tea House. PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images Once your belly is full, there's plenty of shopping to be had in the area, especially if you're in the mood for browsing for Japanese specialty ingredients. Nagano recommends visiting Kotobukiya, a dashi stock specialist founded in 1948. 'The older gentleman who runs the shop is so knowledgeable about the fermentation of kombu (an edible kelp)," she says. "[Young] kombu has a slimy texture because it's so new, but if it's aged for 10 or 20 years, the sweetness comes out. It gets white with pale, dusty stuff. But that's what gives it more umami and sweetness. A lot of Michelin chefs like to get it there.' For matcha and other green teas, there's Jugetsudo Tea House, founded in 1854. 'They have a lot of teas from Fukuoka, a lot from Kyoto, like organic ones from Uji, all sold as single-origin teas. But I particularly love the matcha cookies with hazelnuts,' says Nagano. If you want to try some teas before you buy them, they do have a cafe counter. However, Nagano recommends visiting their Kengo Kuma-designed Ginza cafe, sited just a few blocks north. It's above the Kabuki-za Theater, and is frequently visited by elegant ladies in kimonos headed to kabuki performances. Namiyoke Inari Shrine in Tsukiji, Tokyo. LilyRosePhotos/Adobe Stock While food is certainly Tsukiji's main attraction, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the historic Namiyoke Inari, a Shinto shrine that dates back to Tsukiji's earliest years, way back to 1659. Its name literally means 'protection from the waves,' and the fishers who stock the market have long visited to pray for the safety of their boats and crews. Interestingly, the shrine also has monuments honoring the sea life that gets turned into the seafood that sustains Japan. So, offer a grateful bow at the sushi grave before heading out for more omakase.
Japan Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Development project at historic Kamakura site raises concerns
A condominium development project near the site of a historic 13th-century shogun's office has sparked controversy in a popular Japanese tourist destination. The location, once central to the Hojo clan's regency during the Kamakura shogunate, is considered an area of significant cultural and archaeological value. Local citizens and history researchers in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, are urging authorities to halt the construction, expressing concerns that valuable relics may be buried beneath the site. The Kamakura city government now faces mounting pressure as it struggles to balance urban development with the preservation of its rich historical heritage. In 1225, the administrative office of the Kamakura shogunate government (1185-1333) was moved from the present-day Yukinoshita area of Kamakura to around the Komachi area of the same city. The relocated office became known as the Utsunomiya Zushi shogunate office and remained in operation for about 11 years. The term "Zushi" refers to a narrow street running east to west. The Utsunomiya Zushi office was the second of the three main government offices established by the Kamakura shogunate. During the Kamakura shogunate, the direct line of Minamoto clan shoguns lasted only three generations. After the end of this lineage, real power shifted to the regent Hojo Yasutoki during the period of the Utsunomiya Zushi shogunate office. At the Utsunomiya Zushi office, Yasutoki established the Goseibai Shikimoku, Japan's first legal code specifically for samurai warriors. This groundbreaking code had a profound and lasting influence on the structure and values of samurai society for generations to come. The proposed development site spans approximately 2,000 square meters in the Komachi area. A Tokyo-based real estate company has submitted a land-use plan to the Kamakura city government, seeking approval to construct a condominium building with two above-ground floors and one basement level, including 10 residential units. The project also includes an underground parking facility, which will require excavating the site to a depth of about 5 meters. Recent excavations at a nearby Shinto shrine uncovered the remains of a building and a well some 2 meters below the surface. While it is uncertain whether these structures are directly linked to the shogunate, their discovery suggests that any potential remains at the condominium development site are likely to be found at a similar depth. "If remains are unearthed, it could mark an unprecedented historical discovery," said Fumihiko Gomi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and a member of a group of historians and local citizens working to preserve the site of the Utsunomiya Zushi shogunate office. He emphasized that the site has the potential to be designated as a special historic site under the law for the protection of cultural properties, which would be the first such designation in Kanagawa Prefecture. Utsunomiya Inari Shrine, which was built near the site of the Utsunomiya Zushi shogunate office, in the Komachi area of Kamakura | JIJI The citizens' group is also raising concerns about the Kamakura city government's approach to preserving the ancient samurai city. In the past, the city government, in collaboration with the prefectural authorities and other organizations, sought UNESCO World Heritage status for "Kamakura, Home of the Samurai" — a collection of historic sites located in and around the city. In 2012, the Japanese government submitted a nomination dossier to UNESCO. The following year, however, an advisory panel to the World Heritage Committee recommended against the inscription, noting that Kamakura's outstanding universal value as a World Heritage site had not been sufficiently demonstrated. The citizens' group argued that the proposed condominium development "contradicts the philosophy the city advocated when campaigning for World Heritage site status." The group suggested that if the remains of the shogunate office are discovered, the site should be preserved as a historical park. To raise awareness and support, it organized a symposium in December last year and launched a signature drive. Before any preservation efforts can proceed, a drilling survey must be conducted to determine whether any historical remains are present at the site. Regulating the proposed condominium development poses legal challenges, while converting the area into a park will likely be hindered by financial limitations. "We will communicate local opinions to the developer as needed," said an official from the city government's urban coordination section. "If valuable historic remains are discovered, the city government will request cooperation from the developer." Meanwhile, the city government has decided to relocate Kamakura's city hall rather than reconstruct the aging building, citing the need to preserve the medieval ruins recently discovered beneath the site. Members of the local citizens' group have expressed distrust toward the government, accusing it of employing double standards. One member said the city is "inconsistent in its attitude toward preserving history."
