Uogashi Yokocho
The wholesale and intermediate wholesale markets of Toyosu are only open to industry professionals, but the Uogashi Yokocho shopping area welcomes everyone. This cluster of around 70 shops is located on the fourth floor of the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building. Some of the shops are family-run businesses that served the workers of Tsukiji Market for decades before relocating to Toyosu when the new market opened in 2018; a number of them even predate the establishment of Tsukiji Market in 1935.
Pro-grade products
Unlike the fisheries and fruit and vegetable markets, the shops at Uogashi Yokocho primarily deal in non-perishables, including cooking utensils, seasonings, and cleaning products. Chefs and other industry professionals go there to pick up products they use on an everyday basis at their restaurants and shops, be it kitchen knives, rubber boots, or small flowers for decorating plates of sushi.
Each shop specializes in different products or ingredients used in Japanese cuisine. Some stores offer a selection of various kinds of kombu (dried kelp) used for making dashi broth, while others deal in katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna) or miso paste. Other shops include tea stores, fermented-food specialists, and knife stores selling professional-grade kitchen knives, including some sword-like blades for cutting whole tuna. The knives are sharpened by resident artisans who also offer the option of engraving the blade with the buyer’s name.
Souvenir ideas
For visitors, the shops at Uogashi Yokocho provide an array of distinctive souvenirs. However, since the shopkeepers are usually busy catering to market workers in the early hours of the morning, tourists are encouraged to visit from 8 a.m. onward. Besides kitchen essentials such as plates and chopsticks, popular items include Toyosu Market T-shirts, postcards, and tea mugs. Some of the shops also sell traditional ready-to-eat foods and snacks, such as pickled and preserved vegetables and tamagoyaki, a type of sweetened rolled omelet.
