Let me set the scene: it’s 7:30 in the morning, I’ve been awake since 5am, and Ian is already speed-walking toward the tuna. This was our second time at Tsukiji Outer Market and the first time we made the rookie mistake of showing up too late and got absolutely swallowed by the crowds. This time? We had the place almost to ourselves. Honestly, coming early made the whole experience so much better.
We filmed the whole morning and it’s up on our YouTube channel if you want to watch my actual reactions (spoiler: the fatty tuna one is unhinged). Read on for my honest breakdown of everything we ate, what I loved, what I didn’t, and what I’m already planning to eat again next time.
What Is Tsukiji Outer Market?
Quick background if you’re new here: the famous inner wholesale market, where chefs bid on $20,000 bluefin tuna before sunrise, moved to Toyosu in 2018. What remains is the Outer Market: around 400 stalls selling fresh seafood, produce, kitchen knives, and an overwhelming amount of street food. It’s free to enter and runs from about 5am to 2pm. Go early. Seriously. By 9am the lines were already forming and by the time we left it was getting packed.
The Wagyu Sea Urchin Stick, ¥7,000 (approx. $47 USD / $64 CAD)
This was the very first thing we ordered and I have to be honest with you. We completely fumbled the filming on this one. We were so excited to eat it that we forgot to get it on camera. Classic us.
But here’s what I can tell you: it was incredibly rich. We’re talking wagyu beef and sea urchin together on a skewer, two of the fattiest, most indulgent things you can possibly eat, combined into one. At ¥7,000, it’s the kind of thing that feels like a splurge in the moment and then feels completely justified after the first bite. Ian said he couldn’t imagine finishing the whole thing on his own, which from Ian is really saying something.
By the time we finished this and moved on to the tuna tasting, we’d already spent ¥14,000 (about $94 USD / $128 CAD) and it wasn’t even 8am. No regrets.
The Premium Tuna Tasting, ¥7,000 (approx. $47 USD / $64 CAD)
Okay, THIS. This is why I dragged myself out of bed at 5am. We ordered a tasting set of the three fattiest tuna cuts on the menu: chutoro (medium fatty), otoro (fatty), and kamatoro, the neck cut and apparently the scarcest, rarest, and fattiest of all three. The full set was ¥7,000.
Ian made me start with the leanest one first. It was really fresh and clean but honestly, after I tried the others, I completely forgot what it tasted like. Then came the kamatoro. I took one bite and genuinely said “OMFG.” I’m not even exaggerating. It was SO fatty and rich that it basically just melted. My exact words: “It just moisturizes my lips. I don’t need lip gloss.”
Ian immediately gave me grief for picking the most expensive one as my favorite. And then he tried it. And then he agreed with me. This is why we’re meant to be.
One thing nobody tells you: the fat content is so rich that we were both genuinely full after just the tuna. No carbs, nothing heavy, just the sheer richness of the cuts. Come hungry and pace yourself.
The Sashimi Hand Roll, ¥1,400 (approx. $9.50 USD / $13 CAD)
This one was Ian’s find. He spotted a stall with a beautiful display plate of scallop, uni, and ikura (salmon roe) and assumed he’d just pay and take the plate. What actually happens is way more fun: the vendor sprays your hands clean, hands you a piece of nori with their logo printed on it, then empties the entire plate onto your seaweed. You add wasabi and soy, roll it up, and eat the whole thing in one massive bite.
I was already so full from the tuna but I still managed a bite of this and yeah, it’s amazing. Ian gave it 4 out of 5 and I don’t disagree. For ¥1,400 it’s a genuinely special one-bite experience.
Tamagoyaki on a Stick, ¥200 (approx. $1.35 USD / $2 CAD) — Honest Review: 2/5
Okay, real talk. This is the most Instagrammed thing at Tsukiji. The line was the longest we’d seen all morning. It’s a sweet rolled omelette cooked in ultra-thin layers, rolled onto itself over and over, then served on a stick, hot or cold. We went hot.
And I was… disappointed. I’d give it a 2 out of 5. The texture was fine and it tasted fine but it wasn’t anything special and I’ve genuinely had better. My expectations were way too high from seeing it everywhere online. Ian liked it a little more than I did, but even he wasn’t blown away.
My advice: get it for the experience and the photo, but don’t skip the premium tuna to save stomach space for this.
Grilled Oyster and Scallop, ¥2,000 (approx. $13.50 USD / $18 CAD)
We had high hopes for this stall. We’d had incredible uni don here on our last visit. We ordered one grilled oyster and one scallop skewer between us, finished with ponzu and lemon.
The oyster? Too fishy for me. I didn’t finish it. Even Ian admitted it was on the fishier side. The scallop though, completely different story. We both loved it. You genuinely don’t need any sauce on it, the natural sweetness just comes through on its own. Ian declared it “the king” and said he’d pick scallop over uni in a head-to-head. Coming from him, that’s saying a lot.
If you’re only ordering one: skip the oyster, get the scallop.
The Giant Crawfish Senbei, ¥950 (approx. $6.40 USD / $9 CAD) — My Favorite Surprise
I had seen this on Instagram before we went and thought it was a shrimp senbei. It’s not. It’s a whole crawfish pressed into a giant rice cracker. Senbei is a traditional Japanese rice cracker made from steamed glutinous rice, then grilled or baked. What these guys do is take a live crawfish, press it completely flat into the cracker before it cooks, so you end up with this enormous crispy senbei with a full crawfish embedded in it.
When they handed it to me I genuinely yelled. It’s huge. It’s hot. It smells incredible. And you can really taste the crawfish through every bite of the cracker. I was already stuffed but I could not stop eating this thing.
Fair warning: the staff here are very old-school and not exactly warm. Don’t take it personally, it’s just the vibe. The senbei is 100% worth it.
Full Spend Breakdown
| What We Ate | JPY | USD (approx.) | CAD (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagyu sea urchin stick | ¥7,000 | ~$47 | ~$64 |
| Premium tuna tasting (kamatoro, otoro, chutoro) | ¥7,000 | ~$47 | ~$64 |
| Sashimi hand roll (scallop, uni, ikura) | ¥1,400 | ~$9.50 | ~$13 |
| Scallop and oyster skewer | ¥2,000 | ~$13.50 | ~$18 |
| Tamagoyaki stick | ¥200 | ~$1.35 | ~$2 |
| Crawfish senbei | ¥950 | ~$6.40 | ~$9 |
| Total (2 people) | ¥18,550 | ~$125 | ~$170 |
Yes, we went to the high end of the menu. You absolutely don’t have to spend this much, but if it’s your first time or you’re celebrating something, the premium tuna tasting is worth every single yen.
My Tips for First-Timers
- Arrive at 7:30am on a weekday. We learned this the hard way. Our first visit we came late and it was chaos. Early morning is a completely different experience.
- Weekends: come even earlier. More locals, longer lines, less space to breathe.
- Cash only at most stalls. Grab some from the convenience store ATMs nearby.
- No seats anywhere. You eat standing or walking the whole time.
- Pace yourself on the fatty cuts. The richness hits you faster than you expect. I was full after the tuna and barely made it through the rest.
- Nearest stations: Tsukijishijo (Toei Oedo Line) or Tsukiji (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line).
- Combine with Hamarikyu Gardens right next door for a beautiful walk after all that eating.
Watch the Full Vlog
We filmed every single moment of this morning, from rolling up to the market at 7:30am half asleep, to me losing my mind over the kamatoro, to the crawfish senbei moment. Watch the full Tsukiji vlog on our YouTube channel and subscribe so you don’t miss any of our Japan content. And if you want the real-time food reactions and travel moments, I’m over on Instagram at @chasing.jenny so come say hi!
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