Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo's Chuo ward is the surviving food-stall labyrinth after the wholesale auctions moved to Toyosu in 2018. 400 stalls, peak 07:00-11:00.
Tip: Arrive by 07:30 for stalls before the tour groups; the tamagoyaki sticks at Yamacho are the canonical first bite.
Address: Tsukiji, Chuo Ward, Tokyo 104-0045
Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo's Koto ward replaced Tsukiji's wholesale auctions in 2018. Visitor decks above the tuna trade plus sushi and seafood restaurants.
Tip: Apply via lottery for a lower-deck auction view; the upper free deck takes walk-ups. Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi are the breakfast queues.
Ameya-Yokocho in Tokyo's Ueno is the post-war black-market street under the JR tracks, 400 stalls of fish, dried goods, spices, takoyaki and cheap clothing.
Tip: Saturday afternoons are dense; weekday mornings are calmer. The dried-fish stalls and the okonomiyaki carts are the local lunch order.
Isetan Shinjuku's basement depachika in Tokyo is the world's most curated department-store food hall: 60 counters of bento, sushi, wagashi, French patisserie.
Tip: The 19:30 half-price markdown on bento and prepared food is the local move. Wagashi seasonal collections drop monthly.
Mitsukoshi Nihombashi's depachika in Tokyo holds the heritage Edo-period food shops in its basement: Tokyo's wagashi houses, century-old tea, premium sake.
Tip: The Toraya yokan counter and the Higashiya wagashi flagship are both here. Saturday morning is the calmest window.
