Toyosu for the auction, Tsukiji for street food. Many visitors do both.

How long do you need at Toyosu Market?

About 2-3 hours with breakfast.

Is there sushi at Toyosu Market?

Yes, many sushi restaurants in the Intermediate Wholesale Market building (Block 6).

Toyosu Market Tuna Auction: How to See It Free

How busy is Toyosu Market?

Toyosu replaced Tsukiji's wholesale market in 2018. Visitors follow raised walkways above the working floors, so it never feels crowded like Tsukiji. The busy points are the auction gallery around 5:30-6 am and the restaurant zone, where queues for the most famous sushi counters can run for hours.

Time	What to expect	Verdict
5-5:30 am	Upper gallery opens, find a spot at the window	Best
5:30-6:30 am	Tuna auction, busiest at the gallery	Main event
7-10 am	Breakfast queues at sushi counters	Go early
After 10 am	Wholesale action mostly over, shops closing by early afternoon	Too late for the auction

When	Crowds	Why
Market days, Monday to Saturday	Busy at the auction	Auction days
Sundays and holidays	Closed	No auction
Late December	Very busy	Year-end trading, special auctions
5 January	Very busy	First auction of the year, with record tuna prices

🔑 The free skip-the-line hack

Before you go, check how busy Toyosu Market is likely to be. BeatTheCrowd shows the live crowd level and an hourly forecast for any date, adjusted for Japanese holidays and market closure days.

Check today’s crowds at Toyosu Market →

How to see the tuna auction

Option	Cost	How
Upper gallery	Free	Walk in from 5 am. View through glass, with commentary
Lower observation deck	Free	Online lottery during a set window in the month before your visit

The lower-deck lottery

Apply online on the official Toyosu Market site during the application window, which opens in the month before your visit.
Each applicant can submit one application, for a group of up to five people, with names that match passports.
Winners are announced by email.
On the day, be at the 3rd-floor Promotional Corner of the Fisheries Wholesale Market Building (Block 7) by about 5:30 am.
There are no applications for 25 December to 5 January.

The free gallery is enough for most

The upper gallery shows the whole auction floor. The lower deck gets you closer, but the lottery is competitive.

The three market buildings

Building	What's there
Fisheries Wholesale Market (Block 7)	The tuna auction and viewing galleries
Intermediate Wholesale Market (Block 6)	Restaurants, including famous sushi counters, and shops
Fruit and Vegetable Market (Block 5)	Produce wholesale and viewing area

Next door, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai is a food hall and shopping area in Edo-period style, with a hot-spring spa, which opened in 2024.

Eating at Toyosu

Famous sushi counters can have queues of 2-3 hours or more. Arrive straight after the auction.
Less famous counters in the same building serve excellent sushi with much shorter waits.
Most restaurants open very early and close by early afternoon.

Best (and worst) times to go

5-6:30 am for the auction.
Weekdays for shorter restaurant queues.
Closed: Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays. Check the market calendar.

🔑 The free skip-the-line hack

Our hourly forecast for Toyosu Market shows how busy each hour is expected to be on your date.

Check today’s crowds at Toyosu Market →

Plans by visitor type

Auction watchers

Taxi to arrive by 5 am, upper gallery for the auction, then sushi at 6:30 am, ahead of the main queues.

Food lovers

Skip the auction, arrive at 7 am, and eat at one of the restaurants in Block 6, then visit Senkyaku Banrai.

Families

Kids enjoy the auction from the gallery. The walkways are step-free with lifts.

Limited mobility

The market buildings have lifts and step-free walkways.

Getting there

Route	Notes
Yurikamome Line to Shijō-mae	Directly connected
Yūrakuchō Line to Toyosu, then Yurikamome	Two stops
Taxi	Best for a 5 am auction arrival, as early trains are limited

Practical info

Hours	About 5 am to 5 pm on market days. Shops and restaurants keep their own hours
Closed	Sundays, holidays, some Wednesdays
Payment	Cards at most restaurants. Cash for small shops
Toilets	In each building
Luggage	Coin lockers at Shijō-mae Station
Time needed	2-3 hours with breakfast

Mistakes to avoid

Turning up on a Sunday or holiday.
Arriving at 9 am expecting the auction.
Joining the longest sushi queue when nearby counters are just as good.
Not checking the market calendar for closed Wednesdays.

Is Toyosu Market worth it?

Yes, for the auction, which is a unique sight, and a top-quality sushi breakfast. Pair it with Tsukiji Outer Market for street food, or teamLab Planets, a short walk away. Tsukiji Outer Market guide.

Check today's crowd forecast for Toyosu Market.

FAQs

Can you see the Toyosu tuna auction for free?

Yes. The upper gallery is free from 5 am, with no booking. The lower deck needs a free lottery entry.

What time is the tuna auction at Toyosu?

About 5:30-6:30 am, Monday to Saturday on market days.

How do you enter the Toyosu tuna auction lottery?

Apply online on the official site during the window in the month before your visit, for up to five people.

When is Toyosu Market closed?

Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays.

What is the best time to visit Toyosu Market?

5-6:30 am for the auction. Check our live crowd tracker for your date.

Heading to Toyosu Market?

See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.

Check live crowds →

More Tokyo guides

All Tokyo guides →

Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo Skytree Tokyo DisneySea Tokyo Tower Sensō-ji Tsukiji Outer Market teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM Meiji Jingu Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Tokyo National Museum teamLab Borderless: MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM Shibuya Sky Shibuya Crossing Ghibli Museum

Sources

How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other, and dated so you know how fresh it is. Last checked 21 October 2026. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.

Toyosu Market: How to See the Tuna Auction (Free), the Lottery and the Best Time to Go