Enjoy Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market; Event & Gourmet
Kyoto is a popular tourist destination where you can fully enjoy the charms of Japan, including traditional shrines and temples, as well as seasonal landscapes of cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. The entire city is filled with an elegant atmosphere, making it popular among foreign visitors.
Kyoto, which has flourished as Japan's capital for many years, is still one of Japan's representative cities. It is characterized by its Japanese-style streetscapes and attracts many people. As a result, there are numerous restaurants, making it famous as a gourmet city even within Japan.
An indispensable presence for restaurants in the gourmet city of Kyoto is the "Kyoto Central Wholesale Market," also known as the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market. Along with Tokyo's "Tsukiji Outer Market" and "Toyosu Market," it is known as one of Japan's foremost markets. It sells not only fresh seafood but also vegetables and fruits, making it a treasure trove of ingredients that support Kyoto's cuisine.
In this article, we'll introduce not only the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market but also restaurants recommended by market professionals.
Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market: Boasting Nearly 100 Years of History
The Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market, Japan's first central wholesale market, will celebrate its 95th anniversary in 2024.
At the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market, fresh ingredients gathered from both domestic and international sources are priced appropriately and supplied to restaurant chefs and retailers. It is truly the center of Kyoto's food culture. The ingredients are sold after inspection and supervision by hygiene management specialists, ensuring high safety standards.
Moreover, the "auction" scene, where many buyers compete to determine prices, has become a famous feature of the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market. The sound of the bell announcing the start of the auction and the sight of auctioneers calling out prices are so vibrant that it's overwhelming.
The Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market is characterized by its sale of a wide variety of foods, including about 200 types of seafood and 300 types of produce. Not only are fresh ingredients wholesale, but you can also enjoy delicious sushi at shops within the market and participate in events related to Kyoto's food culture.
Enjoy Kyoto's Food Culture and Market Ingredients at Ajiwai-kan During Events
source：Kyoto city Official website
Inside the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market, there is the "Kyoto Food Culture Museum: Ajiwai-kan." It's a spot where you can learn about Kyoto's food culture, featuring displays of market guide maps and seasonal obanzai (traditional Kyoto home cooking) recipes.
The Ajiwai-kan also hosts events titled "Food Experience Day," where visitors can interact with fresh ingredients from the market.
For example, you can enjoy events such as tasting "Minazuki," a Japanese sweet eaten to pray for good health before the full-fledged summer arrives in Kyoto on June 30th. Minazuki is a traditional Kyoto confection named after the Japanese word for June. You can also listen to explanations about the history of Japanese sweets and tea.
While the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market is enjoyable on regular days, visiting during event periods when you can have special experiences is recommended.
Events are held irregularly according to the seasons, so please check the official website for schedules.
- Address: 3F Kyoto Seika Center Building, 130 Chudoji Minamimachi, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Closed: Wednesdays (except holidays), New Year's holidays (12/31 - 1/4)
- Phone: 075-321-8680
- Official Website
Taste the Seasons! Recommended Restaurants by Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market Professionals
Kyoto Cuisine
Mizuno
source：MICHELIN Guide
Mizuno offers top-class Kyoto cuisine that has earned one Michelin star.
The main feature of Mizuno is that while cherishing the basics of Japanese cuisine, they make efforts to enhance the taste of ingredients without being bound by traditional cooking methods.
For example, in the sawani-wan (a soup dish with plenty of meat and vegetables), fried bread is used instead of the typical fried wheat gluten. The fried bread, which is more aromatic than fried wheat gluten, perfectly complements the sweetness of seasonal vegetables.
One of my favorite points is that the ingredients for the "owan" (traditional Japanese soup, also called suimono), including the sawani-wan, consistently use seasonal fish throughout the year.
Another attractive point of Mizuno is that you can watch the dynamic cooking scene over the counter. It's a unique experience, like watching a cooking show, that you can only get here.
- Address: 245-2 Nakanocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Monday to Saturday 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Closed: 2nd and 4th Mondays, Sundays
- Phone: 075-746-5352
- Official Instagram
Kakyu
source： Official website
Kakyu is a restaurant where you can enjoy creative cuisine using seasonal ingredients from Kyoto. The standard offering is a course meal, which includes sashimi made with fresh seafood, tempura, and grilled seasonal vegetables such as lotus root and maitake mushrooms cooked on a shichirin grill right in front of you, serving dishes that bring out the flavors of the ingredients through various cooking methods.
What left a strong impression on me was the nasu no dengaku (eggplant with miso glaze). The umami-rich soup that seeps out of the fresh eggplant and the sake-scented white miso create an exquisite harmony. When enjoyed with light-bodied sake, it enhances the sweetness of the eggplant and miso, making it hard to stop eating.
Another attractive point is the rich lineup of sake from various regions of Japan, which changes with the seasons. As sake is selected to pair with the dishes, it's an enjoyable place for sake enthusiasts as well.
- Address: 169-2 Takeya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 5:30 PM - 11:00 PM
- Closed: 1st and 3rd Sundays
- Phone: 075-231-9671
- Official Website
- Official Instagram
Kyoryori Sakayasu
source： Official website
The standard offering at Kyoryori Sakayasu is kaiseki cuisine (banquet dishes enjoyed with sake) including fresh sashimi, tempura, and takiawase (a dish of separately simmered seafood and vegetables served together).
On the other hand, the weekday-limited staff meal lunch allows you to casually experience kaiseki cuisine using seasonal ingredients such as conger eel in summer, cherry trout and bamboo shoots in spring. This menu is popular among foreign visitors who want to experience Kyoto cuisine but find full course meals intimidating.
My recommendation is the limited-quantity oyakodon with thick sauce. The tender chicken and the sauce infused with the umami of chicken are a perfect match. It's topped with Japanese pepper, a uniquely Japanese spice, and its fragrance and numbing spiciness perfectly complement the slightly sweet broth.
Located near the popular tourist spot Nishi Honganji and within walking distance from Kyoto Station, it's easy for foreign tourists to drop by.
- Address: 124 Daiku-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM / 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
- Closed: Thursdays
- Phone: 075-371-8219
- Official Website
Sushi Restaurants
Kyo Suzaku Sushi Ichiba
Kyo Suzaku Sushi Ichiba is a sushi restaurant located within the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market. As a market-operated establishment, it serves exquisite sushi using ultra-fresh ingredients procured by the market.
At Kyo Suzaku Sushi Ichiba, you can order individual pieces of nigiri sushi such as tuna, salmon, and amberjack, as well as popular set menus featuring the shop's recommended nigiri sushi and tempura.
My recommendation is the "Umi no Sachi Chirashi," which features sashimi and shredded tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) on top of vinegared rice. It's generously topped with fresh sashimi including tuna and sea bream, as well as luxury ingredients like salmon roe. It's a popular menu item among tourists as it allows you to try various types of fish at a reasonable price.
Orders are placed via tablet, making it easy for foreign visitors who don't understand Japanese to enjoy their meal without worry. Why not drop by during an event at the Ajiwai-kan?
- Address: 80 Shujaku Bunki-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto (Kyoto City Central Wholesale Market)
- Hours: Lunch 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM (Last order 2:00 PM) / Dinner 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Closed: New Year's holidays (12/30 - 1/4)
- Phone: 075-321-4418
- Official Website
Uokiku
source：Tabelog
Uokiku is popular for its sushi and seafood bowls made with fresh fish sourced from the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market.
The standard daily sushi set includes an assortment of nigiri sushi featuring luxurious items like tuna, sea bream, conger eel, and scallops, accompanied by miso soup and small side dishes. As expected from direct market sourcing, the fresh fish exudes transparency that conveys its freshness just by looking at it. In fact, the sea bream sushi has a refreshing and sweet fattiness when you put it in your mouth, making it accessible even to foreign visitors who are not accustomed to raw fish.
While the sushi is excellent, my favorite is the "akadashi," a miso soup made with dark-colored miso. It's not just ordinary miso soup; the broth is made from fish heads and bones left after filleting, resulting in a soup that concentrates all the umami of the fish. Although it looks simple, the combination of fish broth and rich miso is sure to warm your body.
- Address: 409-1 Higashi-Urazuji-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: [Sales] Monday - Saturday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM [Lunch Service] 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Closed: [Sales] Sundays and holidays [Lunch Service] Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
- Phone: 075-211-5066
- Official Website
Izakayas
Apollo plus
source：Tabelog
Apollo plus is an izakaya (Japanese-style bar) where you can enjoy dishes made with morning-harvested vegetables from Kamigamo in Kyoto and seasonal seafood carefully selected by professionals at the Kyoto Chuo Shijou Fish Market.
The shop's recommendation, which is also my favorite menu item, is the mentaiko pasta, perfect for ending your meal. A large amount of high-quality mentaiko (spicy cod roe) is used, reflecting the shop's desire for customers to fully experience its flavor. The sauce is soup-like to keep it warm until the end, so it's recommended to dip bread into the soup infused with mentaiko umami after finishing.
Along with the delicious dishes, you can enjoy a full lineup of drinks typical of an izakaya. Not only are there local sake from various regions of Japan, but there are also many rare, limited-quantity and seasonal sakes not listed on the menu. Furthermore, in addition to shochu and fruit liquors, you can also experience unique drinks like Awamori, the local spirit of Okinawa.
- Address: NEOS Sanjo 2-3F, 67 Masuyacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Last order for food 11:00 PM / drinks 11:30 PM)
- Closed: Mondays, New Year's holidays (12/31, 1/1)
- Phone: 050-5869-9454
- Official Website
- Official Instagram
Kyo no Oheso Nishiki Store
source：Rakuten Guru-Navi
Kyo no Oheso Nishiki Store is an izakaya where you can enjoy creative dishes using seasonal ingredients along with carefully selected drinks.
A must-try when visiting Kyo no Oheso Nishiki Store is the pure white oden made with a white broth. Oden is a dish where ingredients like daikon radish and boiled eggs are simmered in broth, commonly eaten in Japanese households on cold winter days.
Usually, oden is simmered in an amber-colored broth made from bonito flakes and kelp, so this rare type of white, cloudy oden is popular among domestic and international tourists. The rich broth made from chicken wings and bones matches the umami of Kyoto-grown vegetables and processed fish products, creating a gentle flavor that permeates your body.
In addition to sake and shochu from various parts of Japan, the drink selection is diverse, featuring wines imported directly from Europe. You can also enjoy unique drinks that can only be tasted here, such as Kyoto Ohara shiso ume liquor and tomato sour.
- Address: 386 Funaya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours: 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Last order for food 10:00 PM / drinks 10:30 PM)
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Phone: 050-5485-5283
- Official Website