Toyosu Auction

From Toyosu Market to Your Table

While Tokyo is still asleep, Toyosu Market is already in motion.

Before sunrise, seafood from across Japan arrives to be inspected, graded, and prepared for auction. Buyers carefully evaluate each lot through mekiki — the Japanese skill of judging quality by experience.

The Auction Begins

At around 5:30 a.m., Toyosu’s famous tuna auction starts.

Buyers inspect color, fat, texture, and overall quality before bidding. Prices move quickly, and each fish can be sold within seconds.

But the highest price does not always mean the best choice.

Choosing What Is Best Today

After the auction, seafood moves through Toyosu’s network of specialized wholesalers. Some focus on tuna, while others specialize in uni, scallops, shellfish, and seasonal fish.

That is where experience matters.

The best seafood changes with the season, the catch, and the condition of the market that morning.

Our Approach at Minato Market

At Minato Market, we want to bring that same philosophy to the Bay Area.

We source through Toyosu Market and focus on seafood worth eating now — from Hokkaido scallops and bluefin tuna to uni, ikura, amaebi, and seasonal specialties.

Some items may only be available for a limited time.

Because for us, “imported from Japan” is only the beginning.