How to Visit the Tuna Auction at the Toyosu Fish Market

How to Score a Ticket to the Tuna Auction in Tokyo

To apply to the lottery system to enjoy the lower deck at the tuna auction, you simply need to head to the official Toyosu website and follow their application procedure.

While terms may change, at the time of publishing this article, the system was pretty straightforward.

The application period typically opens up the first week of the month for dates in the following month. For example, the application period for March 2026 was open from February 4th to February 10th, and winners were notified on February 19th. When applying, you have to note the number of members of your group (up to five), their names (must match passports), your preferred dates (select all the dates you want to enter the lottery for on a single application), and other details like a valid email address.

You can only submit one application, and submitting a new one may override past attempts.

After the lottery system closes, winners will be selected at random, and your lottery status can be looked up on the website later. We received an email that lottery results were available, but not a custom email indicating that we had won, and had to go back to the website to check our status. Here, it showed us we had won, what date we were selected for, and arrival details. It is worth noting that if you win, you will be selected for a single date from all timeslots you applied for- you do not get a choice after winning, and you cannot change it.

All told, it was actually quite simple and was surprisingly equitable. There didn’t seem to be a risk of tickets running out within seconds, as with other highly sought-after experiences in Tokyo, and for that, we really appreciated how easy the application process was.

Arrival Logistics for the Toyosu Tuna Auction

There are really two main issues to consider when it comes to viewing the Toyosu tuna auction, and they apply to both those who win the lottery and those who are visiting the upper viewing platform, which does not require tickets.

First, there is getting to the market in the first place. Generally speaking, it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to get on public transit that early in Tokyo, as most lines begin operations between five and six in the morning.

Depending on where you are staying, Toyosu is quite far east of the city center, which means you may likely need to hop in a taxi. We were fortunate to be staying just five minutes away, so our taxi was quite reasonable, but taking a taxi across Tokyo from, say, Shinjuku, can take 30-45 minutes and be quite expensive as well (we’ve read upwards of 8,000 yen, but we have not personally confirmed this, so your mileage will vary). This is one reason why we never even bothered to win tickets to the tuna auction until our most recent trip- we really didn’t want to have to get up at 4 am and spend that kind of money.

If you’re okay with these logistics, the next one is simply, where do you go once you arrive at the market?

We had visited the Toyosu Market in the middle of the day on a previous trip, so we had already been aware of this one, but the market is massive. Really massive. To say it takes upwards of 10 minutes to walk across is not much of an exaggeration. The market is really, really big- so arrive early.

All we had received was the information to meet at “The Promotional Corner (Toyosu Market, Block 7, 3F)” at 5:30 am. This is not listed on most maps, so we really weren’t sure where to go. Was there a special entrance for the lower platform? Just the main entrance everyone uses? For the life of us, we couldn’t find anything denoting “The Promotional Corner”, or Block 7 for that matter, at ground level.

In reality, there is just one entrance. The main Toyosu Market can be accessed from the over-road walkways on the northern side of the facility (the same over-road walkway that crosses the nearby intersection). The building is obvious as it has a large “TOYOSU MARKET” written on the top as well. All guests, regardless of lottery status, enter via the over-road walkway and follow signs for the tuna auction from there (we only saw our first sign denoting where to go once up here near the main door).

If you are holding a lottery ticket, there is a check-in desk inside the facility, and attendants will take you to a waiting area, then escort you down to the lower auction as a group. If you are not holding a valid lottery ticket, proceed past this area, and you can walk to the upper viewing area directly- it is only a bit further down the same hallway. Easy enough once you’re inside!

• Final note: Don’t forget your ID and a printout of the lottery confirmation. The lottery paper said passports were required, and I had forgotten ours at the hotel. We had our taxi turn around so we could get them, as we were unsure whether our driver’s licenses would be accepted. We had come so far that I wasn’t taking any chances here. They absolutely do check everyone’s ID if you won the lottery!

What is the Tuna Auction Like?

We were led down to the tuna auction around 5:40 am to find it well underway. In a way, it looks a bit like controlled mayhem, and is a fair bit confusing to figure out what is going on. Thankfully, those who win the lottery have docents with you, who share details on how the auction works in both Japanese and English.

We learned that the market auctions both fresh tuna caught around Japan and frozen tuna caught worldwide (we could see both), which tuna were on auction that day (species are heavily seasonal), how the auction process works (bidding price by weight), and more. All of this was quite helpful because without it, we likely wouldn’t have understood much of what was going on.

Large groups of men move from plot to plot, an auctioneer begins the sale, hands go up in a flurry, and within seconds (literally, seconds), fish are sold for vast sums of money. They’re tagged and move on to fish after fish until the auction has concluded. Fish are then loaded up in boxes and moved to the facility across the street for processing and shipment (which we were told is not open to the public), and that is about all there is to the auction.

You won’t know how much the fish were sold for. There is no signage for visitors at all. And, of course, nothing is in English. This is a working auction, and the viewing platforms are, for lack of a better word, provided as a courtesy. So having the docents explain things behind the scenes was quite the perk for winning the lottery.

All told, we were ushered out of the lower viewing platform at 6:30 am, and had just under an hour to view the tuna auction. In a way, it was over as quickly as it began, and was one of those things that we admit that while interesting to see, we were really glad we did this one while staying nearby (and on our first day when jetlag woke us up at 4 am anyway!). The extra effort of a 30+ minute taxi and return metro across Tokyo would’ve changed the value proposition for us, even if the lottery ticket was, in itself, free.

That said, those who visit without a lottery ticket aren’t bound by such a time limit, so let’s talk about that next!

You Can Visit Without Winning the Auction

We’ve alluded to it a few times in this article by now, but if you are wondering if you can visit the Toyosu Market tuna auction without a winning lottery ticket, the answer is yes.

The upper viewing platform is open for all visitors, and you can check out the auction from above here. Winning the lottery really only gets you two things- access to the lower-level viewing platform and English-speaking guides that share some extra information about what is going on.

The upper viewing platform has audio piped in, so you can hear the action all the same (in Japanese). Even better? You can arrive whenever you like- so we would recommend arriving a fair bit before 5:30 am to get a spot and have more time taking it all in. We really wish we had more time on the lower platform!

In fact, we quite liked the view from the upper platform, and during our particular auction, the only main difference we would call a downside was that all the fresh tuna was stacked in an area of the facility beneath this platform. So guests without a lottery ticket only got to see frozen tuna auctions and may have missed seeing most of the fresh tuna. We can’t say if this is the case every day, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it were.

But, we’ll let you in on a little secret- the fresh tuna auctions seem to happen first, and admittedly had already finished by the time we were led down to the lower platform observation deck. So even with our lottery tickets, we didn’t get to witness the fresh tuna auction (where a world record was set just a few days prior to our visit!). That was a bit of a letdown, but we did get to see the fish all the same, which was something the upper viewing platform folks likely could not see as well.

• Pro Tip: The upper viewing platform is quite long and wraps around in an L shape at the far side. Most guests stayed along the long wall, looking into the auction; however, the small area that wraps around may offer a slight view of where we saw the fresh tuna. It isn’t that much better, but it does offer a different vantage point that we suspect many visitors don’t realize since it is quite far down the hallway.
• Keep in mind that the tuna auction does not occur every day of the week. Confirm operating days before visiting without a winning lottery ticket to ensure you don’t go on a day when the auction isn’t taking place!

Stick Around for an Omakase for Breakfast

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the Toyosu Market is home to a number of restaurant stalls just a short walk away from the tuna auction viewing platform. Many of these open between 6 am and 8 am, so stick around and enjoy an omakase breakfast!

We didn’t expect to be eating a multi-course sashimi experience so early in the morning, but when we saw folks waiting in line for a restaurant just about to open after the auction ended, we knew what we had to do.

After all, we were in the right place for fresh fish.

Overall, while we were quite happy to have scored tickets to the Toyosu tuna auction, we have to admit that this one is an experience that you may want to stop and think about how important it is to you to attend. The auction is short, the market is not close to central Tokyo, and the early-morning wakeup presents a number of logistical challenges for such a quick experience.

We were glad we got to do this one when our hotel was just five minutes away. We’re not sure it would’ve been as worth it had we been staying on the opposite side of Tokyo. So while we are glad we did it when we had the chance, we are also glad that we opted not to on our previous trips. But, as with everything, your mileage may vary, and we just wanted to share all the important details to keep in mind!

The Toyosu Fish Market is located at 6 Chome-6-1 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo. Apply for the lottery during the entry periods here.