Kakujo Gyorui Kodairaten
A big fish market in Tokyo’s Higashi-kurume city. A must-visit for seafood lovers!
A big fish market in Tokyo’s Higashi-kurume city. A must-visit for seafood lovers!
Kakujo Gyorui Kodairaten is one of the biggest fish markets in Tokyo. The company has headquarters in Nagaoka city in Niigata prefecture, and Saitama city in Saitama prefecture. They’ve been running since 1976 in Nagaoka, and they started as a small fish wholesaler in the Edo era. When Kanetsu highway opened in 1971, they took the opportunity to expand their business to the Kanto area with the motto: “We’re going to bring the whole sea of Japan to the Kanto area”. Now they have 22 stores in Kanto, but this fish market totally dwarfs a normal Japanese seafood shop in size.
The selling floor in nearly 1000 square metres, and it’s packed with people – particularly the selling counter. They’re stocked with fish from all over Japan, all the way from Hokkaido (北海道) right the way down to Kyushu (九州). Their biggest selling points are the freshness of their products, the huge variety – they sell more than 100 different varieties of fish! – and the amazing service of the staff.
Their purchasing policies are both unique and strict. They never buy fish if the price is too high, or if the quality isn’t fresh enough – even if it is seasonal, or a long-seller. It might seem simple but it’s a stark contrast to how supermarkets buy stock. Whilst the supermarket has to buy according to a set order list, Kakujo Gyorui’s buyers go out to the port to see the fish and select only the freshest and cheapest. They also put a lot of effort into training their staff in how to handle the fish, and so their skills improve dramatically within 6 months even if they started from not even having used a knife before.
It’s a little hard to access from central Tokyo, but it’s worth the journey if you’re looking for a very Japanese shopping experience.
You might think the floor space is much smaller compared to foreign countries' shops, but compared to other Japanese fish markets, it's huge!
You can ask the staff to help you with the fish you want - like boning, filleting, skinning. They're very kind and thoughtful! If don't know the fish names or how to ask the staff your questions, read Good Quality Fresh Fish Market in Tokyo.
You are allowed to touch and check the weight of what you want to buy. Also the staff will remove any shells if you ask.
Usually you can only use cash at a fish market in Japan but you can use a credit card at this shop! Quite rare.
There is an ice maker in front of the exit so you can make an ice pack to keep your purchases fresh on the journey home.
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