Sat Nov 7 · Tokyo
Fish market at dawn, Ginza watches, the big dinner
- 4:45 AMLeave (optional early start; jet lag helps). Taxi to Toyosu Market, about 20 minutes, $22 to $29. Trains don't run this early. Book it the night before in the GO app, or open Uber at 4:35 AM; taxis also wait at Kameido Station. Uber to Toyosu Market GO taxi app
- 5:15 AMToyosu, Tokyo's big wholesale fish market: the tuna auction, about 5:30 to 6:30 AM, seen free through the second-floor windows. No booking needed. Open today (closed Sundays and Nov 3, 8, 11, 18).
- 6:45 AMSushi breakfast at Toyosu: Daiwa Sushi or Sushi Dai, the famous counters. Expect a queue.
- 9:00 AMTsukiji Outer Market, the street-food side: tamagoyaki $1, grilled scallops $3 to $5, uni $3 to $8. Cash. Taxi from Toyosu, about 10 minutes, about $10.
- 11:00 AMGinza watch walk, 10 minutes away: the Rolex boutiques, Quark and Ginza Rasin for pre-owned, Komehyo Ginza, and the free Seiko Museum Ginza. See Shopping before buying a Rolex.
- 2:00 PMHome to rest and change. Uber from Ginza about $20 to $25, or JR from Tokyo Station, about 25 minutes. Uber to Kameido Station
- 5:40 PMLeave for dinner. Uber about $35 to $45, about 35 minutes, or the train about 45 minutes (JR Sobu Line to Yoyogi, JR Yamanote Line to Ebisu). Uber to Yebisu Garden Place
- 6:30 PMThe one nice Tokyo dinner: The Kintan Steak, 38th floor, Yebisu Garden Place, with Tokyo Tower in view. Course about $80 (¥12,500). Reserve on TableCheck.
- 9:00 PMOptional: Tori-no-ichi at Otori Shrine, Asakusa. The yearly rooster festival: lucky bamboo rakes, food stalls, open all night.
reserve Kintan Steak about a week aheadToyosu open Nov 7
Other options for today
Skip the dawn auction and start at Tsukiji at 9. Odaiba for the life-size Gundam statue (free). Nakano Broadway: a cheaper, quieter Akihabara with watch dealers too. Shimokitazawa: vintage clothes and records.