A guide to enjoying Ota Market in Tokyo. Learn about the long-established restaurants popular for seafood and the tour route!

*Prices include tax.

It's bigger than Toyosu. One of the biggest markets in Japan

As its name suggests, Ota Market is located in Ota Ward in the southern part of Tokyo. Its site area is the largest in Japan, larger than that of Toyosu Market, and is said to be about 8.5 times the size of the Tokyo Dome. It is also the only market in Tokyo that handles three types of produce: fruits and vegetables, ornamental plants, and seafood, and is the largest in Japan in terms of both size and handling of fruits and vegetables and flowers. Its supply area covers the entire eastern part of Japan.

The nearest station is the Tokyo Monorail "Ryutsu Center Station", but it takes about 20 minutes to walk there, so we recommend taking the bus. In that case, take the Toei Bus "Sina 98 Ota Market" bound from the Konan Exit of JR Shinagawa Station for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, take the Keikyu Bus "Mori 43 Ota Market" bound from the East Exit of JR Omori Station for about 20 minutes, or take the Keikyu Bus "Mori 43 Ota Market" bound from Keihin Kyuko Heiwajima Station for about 10 minutes.

This market was established in 1989, the first year of the Heisei era. It was created by integrating the Kanda Fruit and Vegetable Market in front of Akihabara Station, the Ebara Fruit and Vegetable Market (including the Kamata branch) in Gotanda, and the Omori Fish Market in Heiwajima (the following year it integrated the local flower market in the Jonan area). As a result, restaurants that had relocated from the old markets are also operating here. We will introduce these long-established businesses later.

General visitors can also eat, but are not allowed to shop.

Explanation of the route and estimated time for visiting the market

Ota Market is open 24 hours a day, but public tours are available from 5:00 to 15:00. Please check the market closure calendar before visiting. If you are with more than five people, you will need to apply in advance. Anyone other than groups of elementary, middle, and high school students can tour the market on their own, and you should start by following the instructions of the guard at the security station.

The tour begins at the "Document Exhibition Room" on the second floor of the "Administrative Building" near the main gate of the market. The room is open from 8:30 to 15:30 on weekdays, where you can learn about the history of each of the 11 central wholesale markets in Tokyo and touch the turret trucks, commonly known as "turrets." There are also office staff on-site during opening hours, so feel free to ask any questions you may have. You can also get a market map here to get an idea of the vast market.

The estimated time required to tour the market is about 60 minutes. From the "Document Exhibition Room," you enter the market building through a glass-enclosed walkway. To prevent accidents, all visitors are required to follow a designated route on the second floor, and there are signs along the corridors to guide you, so you won't get lost.

The route starts from the "Fruit and Vegetable Building". After that, go up the stairs and through the roof to the "Associated Building" and "Fisheries Building". The seafood auction starts at 5:40, the vegetables at 6:50, and the fruits at 7:00, and each takes place for a few hours, but you can still enjoy the hustle and bustle of the market without getting up that early. It is generally recommended to visit from around 9:00-9:30, so use this as a guideline for your visit.

In addition, the "Flower Building" is located away from the above buildings, on the west side of the Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route, and is about a 10-minute walk from the "Administrative Building." However, it is also open to the public and the auction starts at 7:00. If you are interested, it might be worth a look.

Come hungry and enjoy market cuisine from the morning

The main attraction of a market trip is the food. You can eat in the "Administrative Building" and the "Associated Building" between the "Fruit and Vegetable Building" and "Fisheries Building." There are more than 15 restaurants, including a restaurant that specializes in seafood, sushi, soba, Western food, local Chinese food, ramen, and coffee shops. We will introduce three of these restaurants.

Sanyo Shokudo: Enjoy both sashimi and fried food

First, there's Sanyo Shokudo, a popular restaurant located in the "Associated Building" that has been loved for over 70 years since the old market era. This restaurant was founded in 1950 as a restaurant in Kanda Market, and moved to Ota Market in 1989. Look for the handwritten recommended menu and food samples posted in front of the store.

Our recommendation is the limited-edition "Raw Bluefin Tuna Medium Fatty Meal Set" with large fried shrimp (1,200 yen + 200 yen). The set meal comes with a large fried shrimp for just 200 yen, which is 350 yen on its own, so it's a great deal. The beautiful firmness and smooth texture of the raw tuna are as you would expect from a market, so the freshness is exceptional. And the plump and filling fried shrimp is also blissfully delicious.

We'll also introduce a hidden menu item at this restaurant: the "daily special." The owner serves seafood selected from the fish market that day, and on this day it was sardine sashimi from Choshi. It is not available on stormy days (when the sea is rough), and the quantity is limited and the price fluctuates, but if you visit, try asking, "Do you have the daily special today?" If it's not sold out, you can enjoy large, fatty seafood that is only available in season.

Another popular dish is the "Large Fried Raw Scallops." Scallops are served raw, but cooked rare to perfection, and the crispy batter and melt-in-your-mouth texture of the scallops will surprise you, as will the creamy sweetness. The light homemade tartar sauce, which uses a lot of onions, goes perfectly with the scallops, making them even more delicious.

Sanyo Dining

Kanda Fukuju is famous for its conger eel tempura bowl and luxurious seafood bowl.

The most famous restaurant in the "Office Building" is "Kanda Fukuju." The restaurant was founded in the early Meiji period as an eel restaurant in Kanda Surugadai. It later moved to the Kanda Fruit and Vegetable Market in Akihabara, and then moved to Ota Market when it was merged in the Heisei period. At that time, the restaurant changed its name and operated as two restaurants, "Daimatsu" and "Fujiken Shokudo," but in 2019 they merged and returned to their roots as "Kanda Fukuju."

One of the restaurant's specialties is the "Conger eel tempura bowl" (1,800 yen). Two Edomae conger eels, each over 30cm long, and the backbone of the eel decorate the top of the bowl. The batter is fluffy and crispy. The eggplant and shishito pepper tempura are also a nice accent, and you're sure to be very satisfied with both the quality and quantity.

The other is the "Sankado" (2,500 yen). The "Sankado" here refers to tuna, sea urchin, and salmon roe, but it is a spectacular bowl filled with even more seafood. The contents vary depending on what is in stock, but on this day there were more than 15 kinds in total. Tuna, sea bream, octopus, scallops, shrimp, gizzard shad, surf clam, conger eel, raw oysters, crab, tamagoyaki, kamaboko, and more were on top, making it a truly blooming bowl. The sumptuous and diverse flavors are sure to please your palate.

Another highlight not to be missed is the collaboration menu that the store offers in cooperation with JAs from around the country. This is something that can only be found at Ota Market, which is visited by JAs from all over the country. At the time of our visit, they were offering plum wine (500 yen each, 600 yen with soda) made with Shirakaga plums from Gunma and Nanko plums from Wakayama, the former of which is refreshing and the latter of which is mellow. The playfulness of being able to compare the two was also impressive.

Kanda Fukuju

If you want to take a break, head to "RAY'S COFFEE" where dark roasted beans are popular

If you're visiting Ota Market and feel like taking a break, why not try "RAY'S COFFEE"? It's located in the "Associated Building," near the aforementioned "Sanyo Shokudo." It was founded in 1989, the same year as the market. Although the store closed once in 2016, the female staff member who worked there at the time took over as owner, and reopened in 2017, where it remains today.

They also sell coffee beans, with a fairly large lineup of 18 varieties. The coffee they serve is brewed by selecting the best beans from these. For example, the most popular "Blend" (500 yen / unlimited refills) and "Cafe Latte" (600 yen / iced and hot) are dark roasted charcoal-grilled blends. "Iced Coffee" (500 yen / unlimited refills) is brewed with medium-dark roasted beans, mainly from Central and South America, called Ice Caribbean.

I tried a few and found that the "Blend" had a rich bitterness with a hint of sweetness and sharpness, and was a well-balanced dark roast that wasn't tiring to drink. The "Iced Caffe Latte" was made like an iced cappuccino with foamed milk added, and the milky sweetness matched well with the espresso, making for a pleasant taste.

The standard food item is the "Toast Set" (750 yen), which includes four slices of thick toast, unlimited coffee, salad, and soup. For light meals, the popular "Napolitan (with salad and soup)" (980 yen) is made with thick pasta (2.2 mm in diameter) and is finished with a blend of ketchup, demi-glace sauce, and whole tomatoes.

They also have desserts and sweet drinks such as "cake" (500 yen) and "cream soda" (680 yen), so be sure to drop by this shop if you're craving something sweet.

RAY'S COFFEE

There are many other markets in Tokyo

Markets can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, from breakfast to adult field trips. Among them, Ota Market, introduced in this article, is one of the largest in Tokyo and is definitely worth a visit. There are also 11 other "Central Wholesale Markets" under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tokyo, and 9 "Local Wholesale Markets" certified and opened by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, such as Fuchu and Hachioji. Some markets offer food and shopping, so if you want to enjoy market hopping, be sure to check them out.

Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market Ota Market

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