Screenshot : Yuji Nakamura

Today is the first official day of the Toyosu Market, the new fish market that is replacing the beloved Tsukiji Fish Market. The opening wasn’t exactly smooth.




In September , I visited the Tsukiji Fish Market one last time.


The Tsukiji Fish Market had loads of charm (and loads of rats!), while the Toyosu Market doesn’t .

Here’s how it compares to Tsukiji .


Bloomberg’s Yuji Nakamura has this helpful summary:


That’s right, you cannot buy fresh fish directly from the merchants. (You can follow Nakamura here on Twitter!)

There are some complaints about the new location. For example, visitors will be sectioned off and behind glass .


It wasn’t exactly a smooth first day but hopefully, that’s just growing pains.





With fewer roads, access is not good and traffic this morning was a nightmare. For visitors, Toyosu can be accessed by bus or monorail.








The closing of the inner Tsukiji Market was a sad affair .



Some Tsukiji inner market shops are not leaving in protest .


Starting this Saturday, Toyosu shops and restaurants will be open to the general public and visitors can watch auctions from Monday.





Maybe with time, Toyosu Market will become just as beloved—or more so. The charm, though, is going to take decades.