Toyosu Market (豊洲市場, Toyosu Shijō) opened on October 11, 2018 on the man-made island of Toyosu in the Bay of Tokyo. It took over the wholesale business from the aging Tsukiji Market and provides tourists with an opportunity to observe the market action and to dine at restaurants across its large, modern premises. The huge wholesale market consists of three main buildings: two buildings for seafood and one for fruits and vegetables. All buildings are connected with each other and Shijo-mae Station via walkways. This tour is available at 8AM onwards. If you are interested to see the Tuna auction, please book Toyosu Market Morning Tuna Auction and Tsukiji Food Tour which can be booked at 5AM.
Meet up with your guide at Tsukiji Honganji Temple, just outside the market’s main gate, in the morning. As you navigate your way through this labyrinth of all things seafood, learn from your guide about the market’s history and why many Japan’s top chefs visit here daily to pick up the freshest-quality ingredients. You never know what you might find as you stroll past the stalls of this amazing food center. You might see piles of sea urchin (uni) stacked neatly in boxes, watch as vendors carve massive Bluefin tuna or spot puffer fish floating in tanks. Many shops in Tsukiji are closed due to the closure of Toyosu. ※closed on Wednesdays, Sundays, national holidays, new years and occasionally on other irregular days.
One of the favorite pastimes of many a visitor to Japan is going on a souvenir shopping spree, hauling in as many amazing goods and deals as possible. In Ginza, people shop for high-end and trendy fashion in its many department stores and high-class duty free shops, while Shinjuku is known for its abundance of massive electronics retailers – Tokyo offers many a shopping spree hot spot.
Sensoji Temple is one of the most famous temples in Japan. It looks back on a 1,300 year-long history and is also famous for its entrance gate called Kaminarimon which stands out through its large red lantern. Sensoji itself is not the only reason why you should visit the area. The oldest shopping street in Japan, called Nakamise Dori is located beyond Kaminarimon and leads to the temple's main hall. On Nakamise Dori you can buy traditional Japanese craft items as well as delicious snacks such as fried mochi (glutinous rice cakes).
Nakamise is the most famous shopping street in Asakusa. The street runs for 250 meters on the main approach to Sensoji Temple and is lined on both sides with shops selling traditional souvenirs, snacks, and sweets. This street is actually on temple property and so it starts and ends with a temple gate: at the southern end is the outer gate of Kaminarimon, and at the northern end is the inner gate of Hozomon. Between these two gates are 89 shops, with 54 shops on the east side, and 35 shops on the west. “Nakamise” is a traditional name given to shopping streets on the grounds of temples or shrines, so this is not the only “Nakamise” in Japan, but it is one of the oldest and most famous.
Kappabashi Street (かっぱ橋道具街, Kappabashi Dōgugai) is a shopping street between Ueno and Asakusa, which is lined with several dozens of stores selling everything needed by restaurant operators, with the exception of fresh food. You will find specialized stores for dishes, pots, pans, cooking utensils, stoves, tables, chairs, signs, lanterns and more. There are also a few stores which sell plastic and wax food samples, used by many restaurants in their show windows.
Monjayaki is a liquid-y, hot, admittedly unattractive dish—but, once you get over looks and into substance, you’ll forgive its appearance and dive in. A thin batter made with flour and dashi (Japanese stock) forms the base, and with myriad combinations of toppings there’s something for everyone. If you’ve never tried it—either intentionally like me, or through not knowing it existed—there’s only one place to go in Tokyo, and it’s literally called Monja Street.
One of best shopping streets in Tokyo, with the well-remained old town “Shitamachi” atmosphere. Explore the nostalgic side of Tokyo through Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street! Yanaka (谷中) is a quiet neighbourhood in Taito ward, east Tokyo. The area is known as old-town district (Shitamachi in Japanese) where nostalgic and rustic vibes are well remained. Yanaka can be accessed from Ueno easily and it’s in a walking distance from Ueno Park. Yanaka is a residential and low-key commercial district where many locals live, and old shops and buildings gather. Yanaka Ginza (谷中銀座) is locals’ favourite place to shop, eat and hang out with neighbours. It’s the most lively part of the district where visitors can feel the true vibes of local activities.
Our guide, Sam, was amazing!! He communicated well throughout the process and was extremely personable. He went above and beyond to meet our every wish. This was a wonderful introduction to Tokyo!!
Our guide was very nice, the locations he choose were so well decided The whole tour was full of informations and new impressions Thank you so much
On our first full day in Tokyo, we had a 6 hour food and culture tour with “Show” as our guide. Even before we met him, his advice was great. We set up our Suica cards and were ready. We loved the food and cultural route we took with Show. He was informative without simply spewing facts. We wandered around, learned to navigate the trains and people. Learned cultural expectations, and tasted a variety of foods. We highly recommend this tour (especially on day 1 of your trip), the company, and Show as a guide.
A fascinating, enjoyable tour thanks to our wonderful and personable guide, Michio. Calling it a “tour” is somewhat of an understatement, as Michio was a wealth of information spanning Japanese history, language and culture. We especially appreciated having the tour tailored to our interests, not inhibited by a pre-determined itinerary. All in all, it was time well spent and will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our travels in Japan. Thank you, Michio!
Goreilo (Hayama-San) did an excellent job. He customized the day for my daughter and I. He was very knowledgeable, we had a particular request for a top sushi restaurant and he did a great job in picking one of the best. Thank you so much for a memorable day. We would definitely come back.
Amazing experience during our trip! We strongly recommend for all who Wish to visit Tokyo in all kind of points of views!
My son and I had Minnie as a guide and really enjoyed the trip. Minnie emailed in advanced, texted on WhatsApp in days prior and met us hotel lobby for a six hour food and cultural tour during which we visited temples, both food markets (we ate excellent sushi at second one as auction closed early in morning), Buddhist fire ritual, sake tasting, cultural museum and urban garden. Minnie was flexible with itinerary both with means of travel (we preferred subway, though also took one bus and one taxi), and really seemed to be a good fit for us. I found the cost of tour to be very reasonable - ours did not include entrance fees, meals and transportation which worked out well for us. One suggestion is to do something like this early during visit as the food education helps for the rest of holiday.
Thank you so much, Michio Akutsu san! Our family of 4 (teenage son and his younger sister) had a wonderful time exploring the hidden gems of Tokyo. Michio san walked us through the high level overview of Japan history to understand the places we plan to visit. His sushi lunch recommendation was delicious! We loved it so much! Michio was very patient and accommodating with various activities during the day. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to experience Japan with local guide!
From the very beginning, Japan Guide Agency was very professional and prompt in answering my emails and questions. Therefore, we booked 2 tours with the company and have no regrets. Guide: Shozo Nitta “Show” We booked a 6 hour tour to Tsukiji Fish Market. Show met us in our hotel lobby, and we started our tour by walking across to the Shibuya train station. We were able to purchase different types of tea, taste sashimi and other snacks at the market. We visited a knife store where my husband purchased a knife and requested it be mailed home. We also went to a very large electronics store. At the end of the tour, Show took us back to the Shibuya train station where we had a light snack before walking back to our hotel. A month after we return home, we realized we did not receive the knife we purchased. We decided to wait a bit longer knowing that international shipping and customs can be tricky with certain items. However, when it was clear that the knife was not coming, I attempted to reach out to the store via their website that is all in the Japanese language. I reached out via email to Show and asked for his assistance in contacting the store and following up on the purchase. Show contacted the store and sent emails translating their response. Apparently, the knife was never sent. The store advised that they would send out another immediately and within 2 weeks of my first email to Show we received the knife. We are so grateful for Show’s professionalism and help and would highly recommend Japan Guide Agency and Show for Tokyo private tours.
Goreilo’s San was our guide for a visit to the old fish market in Tokyo. He was in touch with me before I arrived in Japan and messsged me and kept us informed with regard to his arrival at our hotel. Ge was very friendly and very informative and we had a really pleasant day with him. We enjoyed spending time with him and highly recommend him.
Naoko was a great tour guide! She was very attentive and was able to accommodate to the things I had asked for. She was also able to adjust the schedule based on the weather. She was also very responsive and created an itinerary that was based on what I had suggested. Would highly recommend
March 7, 2024 my wife and me met Mr Ken Takahashi at our Tokyo hotel. We reviewed our tour and opted to see Toyo’s Market, Tsukiji Fish Market and Senso-ji Temple and added Idemitsu Museum of Arts instead of the shopping areas. It was a cold wintery day. Ken is an excellent navigator getting through Tokyo’s maze of trains, buses and subways to our spots of interest. We had a nice introduction to Tokyo and its history with Ken’s knowledge. I would go with Ken again because He was well prepared for our journey and answered our questions plus gave us insight into the Japanese way. Frank&Norma
Show was great and was happy to amend the plan based on the fact that the city was so busy. He was great with our kids as well
As we only have 2 days in Tokyo so we decided to book a private tour with JGA tour. We had a pleasant tour around Imperial Palace East Side garden, Asakusa and Akhihabara given by Meiji. Meiji also recommended some nice Japanese snack/ sweet near the temple, and Japanese lunch to us. We have enjoyed the tour and it did save us some time navigating the route in Tokyo to see the sites in 6 hours.
Excellent tour curated by our guide. Saw parts of Tokyo we never would have thought to go to. We were thoroughly pleased with the whole experience
Mia was fantastic. She was so organised. She gave us 3 - 4 options to pick and choose from. The new fish market can be a bit of experience given they don't allow to go into the actual fish market. But it was worth going there just to have sushi which was amazing.
We had a wonderful time with Naoko, who picked us up from our hotel lobby. She listened to what we wanted to do before our trip via email and thoughtfully put together an itinerary that encompassed what we were looking to do for our trip. She gave great insight into Tokyo and even gave fantastic suggestions on where to go outside of the tour. She was observant and saw what we were drawn to regarding what we liked to eat or look at and would suggest where to go on the spot. We went to the fish markets, the tastiest spots to eat, and the best places to shop. I will say that the original tour guide we were assigned was not fluent in English, and it was apparent they had never been to the fish markets. The tour guide agency did reassign, but for the amount of money they charge, it was disappointing that this would happen at all. So if you do book, be active with your communications and aware that this might happen. But I was happy overall with the experience.
We had an amazing time with Kenji! We were lucky to book this tour on our first full day in Tokyo and Kenji took us to the Toyosu tuna auction, Tsujiki outer market, and Asakusa, including Senso-ji temple. He was above and beyond! We learned a lot about the culture and history of each area. We also learned how to pray and how to navigate the trains, which was key. This was definitely the most memorable day of our 11 day trip (for which we had a packed agenda) and we made a great new friend.
Taka is an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and professional. We especially enjoyed the sushi. It was a rainy day so the boat tour was a welcome and interesting activity. We would definitely recommend this tour, especially guided by Taca.
We had a fantastic day with Keiko Motoshima in Tokyo. She picked us up from our hotel in Yokohama and navigated the metro system to the centre of Tokyo for us (very useful as we were only in Tokyo for such a short time). She was excellent before we arrived in agreeing our priorities for the day and put together an interesting and exciting itinerary for us. We managed to squeeze in Shibuya crossing, the Meiji Shrine, the Metropolitan Government Building (free with fantastic views), Shinjuku area (Godzilla!), Takeshita St and Sensoji Temple, to name but a few places. Even though the itinerary, which we managed to pack in to 6 hours included travelling, Keiko managed to find a lovely fast food restaurant where we had tasty ramen and the 3 of us ate for £11! Keiko was very friendly and helpful. She spoke exceptionally good English and was keen that we did everything that we wanted. The day was particularly worthwhile to us, as Keiko knew exactly how to navigate her way around Tokyo, which meant that we maximised our time. Thank you Keiko for your day with us.
We had an excellent day with Yuki-san who was a consummate host. Warm, friendly, knowledgeable and very, very helpful. As we were interested to see the Tuna Auction at Toyosu fish market, Yuki-san got up extra early to meet us there at 05:45. This was an amazing level of service - above and beyond anything we expected. It was a fascinating scene, made more interesting by Yuki-san’s insights. Afterwards, she helped us make lunch reservations for Sushi Dai. She then took us on a tour of Tsujiki market and the surrounding area. We had a wonderful time, sampling various food and interacting (with Yuki-san’s great translation skills) with some of the local vendors. Yuki-san tailored our day specifically to meet our needs and gave us an amazing experience, which we will never forget. I would love to work with her again and highly commend her to you!
I really enjoyed my tour. I booked this to help me familiarize myself with a new city when I arrived in Tokyo and it definitely delivered. Ryuta-san, my tour guide, was very friendly and helpful and gracious in showing me around the city as well as answering all of my questions. I was very curious about the history of Tokyo's transformation post WWII and super interested in the written language and he diligently explained a lot. I got a really good sense of the metro and navigating around and exploring the dichotomy between more of the popular tourist areas vs. locals-areas. At first I was nervous about going to more touristy areas, but it was helpful to then see the dichotomy when we went to different areas that weren't so touristy. Conclusion: still overwhelmed when there are huge crowds of peeps, but learned to navigate it okay and not feel so concerned as there are just peeps everywhere. I had a really fun time exploring the city and would definitely recommend it for anyone who's visiting.
My wife and I really enjoyed our Day Tour of Tokyo. Mika, our tour guide, was amazing. We went to several markets, experienced the subway and train as well as more than one food and beverage stops. I highly recommend this tour as well as Mika. Thank you so much!
My adventures in Tokyo keep getting better and better thanks to the Japan Guide Agency, this time with the professionalism and attention to detail of Asako Shomen. She gave me a delightful tour of the famous Tsukiji and Odaiba Markets, the beautiful Ueno Park, and the gorgeous Yanaka district. Mrs. Shomen made sure I sampled the most delicious food in the market and shopped for the most delicate souvenirs in Yanaka. She also showed me the Shogun’s resting place and the imposing Museums in Ueno. You have got to book this tour next time you visit Tokyo!
Great morning out and about in Tokyo, we really appreciated our guides flexibility when we called an audible and wanted to go shopping in Ginza.
*Tokyo Food & Culture tour: The tour was really great ! Nobu my guide took me to some really cool spots, including the fish market and a really pretty garden towards the eastern side of Tokyo. I actually learned quite a bit about Edo period's shogun history. He also was kind to help me buy a train ticket for Kyoto for later day, and we had lunch near the Shidodome tower which had a fantastic view of Tokyo ! Nobu was quite attentive, overall I had a great time. *Tokyo Off-the-Beaten path tour: My guide Michio accompanied me to some amazing spots, less well-known in Tokyo that I would have not been able to discover other wise. The garden and Edo-era museum we visited were really beautiful. My favorite was the quaint neighborhood of Shibamata and the traditional Japanese house we visited with the garden, a highlight of the day ! Over all, Michio was awesome I really enjoyed it. *Hakone Full-day tour: My tour guide Minoru Asai was really knowledgeable. Even though due to cloudy weather, view of Mount Fuji was not super clear but he took me to spots with the best view possible. He also was so helpful and kind to help me buy a train ticket to Kyoto ! I learned unique things about the Hakone area, like the black eggs cooked with the sulfur ridge steam ! *Kyoto Full-day tour: My guide Kazuo Sumi accompanied me to a kimono rental and tea ceremony and offered some amazing pictures I was really pleased. His knowledge of Kyoto traditions and culture were fascinating and I loved learning about the history and profession of geishas. The sushi restaurant we went to for lunch was delicious, I loved the egg souffle a very unique dish. *Nara Full-day tour: My guide Toshi was really attentive and I love the knowledge about the Buddhist and Shinto sects that he provided. We visited temples in Nara park and also encountered the free-roaming deers. Over-all, a wonderful in the ancient capital !
I took the tour of the various fish markets in Tokyo. I was lucky enough to have a very knowledgeable and helpful guide, Naoko Komiya. I had a really good time and he gave me a lot of explanation on the habits, customs and traditions. I found the tuna auction interesting with the explanation of the various fish processing processes.
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