The best time to arrive at the Tsukiji Outer Market is between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM to enjoy the freshest food, lively atmosphere, and avoid the peak, intense crowds that arrive after 10:00 AM. While some vendors open around 5:00 AM, most shops are fully operational by 8:00 AM, and visiting by 9:00 AM keeps you ahead of the biggest rush.
What to Wear. At Tsukiji Market, the floors are often wet and slippery, and bikes and carts are going here and there, so make sure to come with your safe shoes that cover your toes. No high-heeled shoes and sandals.
The whole Tsukiji area is a morning place. Shops open early (very early) and the area slows down and is mostly closed for the day by 2pm (the inner market will bequiet by 12:30-1pm). Whether you are a seafood-enthusiast or just curious about this market, there is always something for you and your loved ones.
The best time to visit Toyosu Fish Market is early in the morning, around 5:00 AM to 6:00 AM. This is when the famous tuna auction happens. If you want to watch the auction from the observation deck, arrive early because spots fill up fast.
Plan to set aside an hour or two to explore the Tsukiji Fish Market. This will give you plenty of time to go on a food trip around the shops and stalls selling fresh seafood, vegetables, and special foods.
Best times to visit: If you want the calmest possible experience, come early morning on either day. And we mean early. 5am sharp is when you'll get the most space to browse and chat with your fishmonger.
While shops close as early as 15:00 and cafés by 20:00, many sushi and seafood restaurants in Tsukiji Market remain open late into the night, making it a great spot for a late dinner. The area is generally safe at night, although you may come across groups of intoxicated salarymen leaving izakaya bars.
While the goal is to test speakers in case of emergency, it's also a delightful way to usher in the evening. I finally caught the moment from the Asakusa observatory, aka one of the best Tokyo viewing platforms.
Red is fine except for funerals. 60th birthdays are called Kanreki and you wear red for that birthday! Japanese people have no problem with people wearing red or any other colour.
Golden Week is a series of four holidays closely spaced together and observed at the end of April and beginning of May in Japan. The four holidays are Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), and Children's Day (May 5).
The old Tsukiji Market is gone, its legacy carried on by the remaining shops and restaurants in the outer markets while its future reborn at the new Toyosu Fish Market complex. The tuna auctions still happen everyday. The format for visiting is different, but the spirit is the same.
The most expensive months to visit Japan are late March to April (cherry blossoms), late April to early May (Golden Week), August (Obon/summer holidays), and mid-December to early January (New Year's/festive season), with prices surging due to major domestic travel and holidays, leading to peak demand and higher costs for flights, hotels, and transport.
Some of the Yakuza's scarier members use their license plates to express their contempt for their own mortality by choosing 4444. That's quite a bit of death and a car with this plate is one you don't want to cut off on the highway. You have to get creative when you have a number that sounds like death.
The one-third rule refers to the business practice that is unique to the food industry, in which the best before date is divided into 3 parts and food manufacturers and wholesalers deliver products to retailers before the end of the first part period.
While holding hands is generally fine in Japan, kissing in public is strongly frowned upon and considered awkward or inappropriate, making it best to save passionate displays for private settings like hotels or homes, as it goes against traditional Japanese modesty and personal space norms, even if younger people are slightly more tolerant.
One important tip is to avoid fishing in extreme temperatures that are too cold or too hot. The best times to fish are always early in the morning from 6:00 am am to 9:00 am, late morning to afternoon from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm or afternoon to dusk from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Ora King, above, is a salmon beloved by chefs around the world. 20 years ago, Anthony Bourdain (RIP, the original food influencer) taught a generation of restaurant-goers never to order fish on Mondays. It was one of the most lasting takeaways from his 2000 book, Kitchen Confidential.
