Tsukiji Market was another place that I was determined to visit after missing out during our first trip to Japan. Since the earthquake/tsunami, the famous fishmongers moved to a new facility in Toyosu, Japan. What remains at Tsukiji Outer Market is a collection of small shops that continue to sell food, mainly to tourists. Although we had heard that Tsukiji has become very touristy, it was still surprising to hear more English than any other language as we walked around.
Tips for visiting Tsukiji include arriving early in the morning (ideally around 7:30 a.m.) and making sure to bring cash (yen). When I was planning my itinerary, I tried to map out the different stops I wanted to make. In the end, it was easier to just wander around while looking for the places I had researched. The market is small enough that it is easy to cover in a couple of hours.
Soratsuki
Our first stop of the morning was Soratsuki. Yes, it was early in the day to be indulging in dessert. However, how could we pass up this scrumptious-looking Strawberry Daifuku?
Red Bean and Green Tea Strawberry Daifuku-so good!
We also tried a White Peach Whipped Cream Daifuku-yum!
It is kind of confusing that the store sign says “Solatsuki” but the website refers to itself as “Soratsuki”. Which is it? Either way, just look for the cute strawberry sign! The strawberry soft serve ice cream also looked delicious, but we exercised some restraint.
Onigiri Marutoya
Onigiri Marutoya is a shop that specializes in onigiri and sushi to-go. Everything looked so good, it was difficult to decide what to try.
We ended up picking up this package of salmon sushi, which was an excellent choice.
This tempura ebi onigiri was massive and tasty!
Yamacho Tamagoyaki
Yamacho Tamagoyaki features tamagoyaki (Japanese egg omelet) on a stick.
It is fun to watch the tamagoyaki being made while waiting in line. The end product was piping hot, but a little too sweet for my taste.
k was so cooperative in being my food model.
The Japanese take sorting their trash very seriously. Check out this trash can in front of Yamacho that can only be used for their skewers. I like how they also taped on a sample skewer just to be crystal clear.
Nisshin Tasuke
This was not one of our planned stops, but we stopped at Nisshin Tasuke to try the grilled unagi. While I am not ordinarily a big fan of eel, it is something that D likes. I don’t think the kids had ever tried it, so I thought of it as a learning experience.
I enjoyed the slightly sweet, charred flavor, but the texture was too soft for me. I guess the delicate texture is part of the appeal of unagi; it’s just not something I appreciate. I am glad we tried it though. This was probably the most adventurous thing we ate during our entire trip!
Shouro
I don’t think I fully appreciated how much the Japanese like eggs and egg products. (Why are the egg salad sandwiches at the convenience stores so good? Also, is this why egg salad sandwiches were one of my pregnancy cravings? But alas, I digress). Shouro is another shop that specializes in Tamagoyaki. Since we had already tried it at Yamacho, we tried their egg pudding.
Look at how premium that packaging is! I am curious as to the story behind the squirrel with a golden egg.
The caramel sauce on the bottom reminded me of flan.
Sushi Zanmai
The owner of the Sushi Zanmai chain is known as the “King of Tuna”, so we splurged (relatively) on a tuna sampler from their outside stall. We all agreed that this was the best sashimi we have ever had. It melts in your mouth!
Matcha Stand Maruni
Everyone in our family enjoys a matcha latte, so we had to check out Matcha Stand Maruni.
This place is a chic, sparse storefront that serves hand-crafted matcha drinks.
It is interesting to observe how the matcha is prepared with such precision.
Such a lovely shade of green. Luckily, the line was not too long when we were there. If you are a matcha fan, make this one of your stops.
Tsukiji Sanokiya
Our final stop was for the Tuna-shaped “maguroyaki”. Although it is in the shape of a fish, there is actually sweet red bean paste inside. I especially liked the warm crispy outer shell that was fresh from the press.
This shop (more like a stand) is so small, it is easy to miss. There was an elderly woman with kind eyes who served us. I wonder how long she has been working there? It is amazing how many Japanese people dedicate their lives to perfecting their craft.
More Tsukiji Recommendations
Unfortunately, we did not have the time/stomach space to try everything that was on my list. Some other places to look for at Tsukiji Outer Market are Saiwaiken (shumai), Yoshisawa (menchi-katsu) and Tonboya (grilled tuna skewers)-it was closed on Thursdays. Although some might look down on Tsukiji as a tourist trap, this is the type of trap I would gladly eat my way through.