The Tsukiji Outer Market is one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist destinations, where you’ll find many restaurants serving fresh seafood.
Tucked away in the basement of a building along the area’s Harumi Street is a hidden gem: “Sashimi Bar Kashigashira.”
Opened by a seafood connoisseur with experience working in a fish market, the restaurant offers not only top-quality tuna but also a wide variety of other fish. Here, you can enjoy an unforgettable seafood feast you won’t find anywhere else.
Once known as the Nihonbashi Uogashi, Tsukiji Market supported Tokyo’s food scene for over 80 years.
The central wholesale market functions have since moved to Toyosu, but before that, the market was divided into two areas: the “inner market” (jōnai), which served wholesalers and restaurants, and the “outer market” (jōgai), which catered to the general public.
Even after the inner market relocated, over 460 shops remain in the Tsukiji Outer Market, keeping the bustling atmosphere alive.
Sashimi Bar Kashigashira is one of the many popular spots here, often featured on TV and gourmet websites—and not uncommonly, you’ll find a line out the door.
Freshly sourced wild bluefin tuna
The “Tsukiji-jyougai rice bowl”: A double-layered rice bowl that captures the spirit of Tsukiji Market!
One of the restaurant’s most iconic dishes served during lunchtime is the “Tsukiji-jyougai rice bowl” (meaning “Outer Market Bowl”).
When it arrives at your table, it’s a surprising sight: a two-tiered donburi (rice bowl)!
The top bowl, representing the inner market, is a luxurious seafood bowl; the bottom bowl, representing the outer market, is a vibrant chirashi (sushi rice topped with various ingredients like sashimi, vegetables, and egg).
This creative presentation reflects the owner’s wish for both the inner and outer markets to continue flourishing. The dish embodies the owner’s expertise, honed through selecting fish at inner market auctions and working in outer market restaurants.
“築地場外丼,” Tsukiji-jyougai rice bowl 4,200 JPY (tax included)
The toppings on the seafood rice bowl vary depending on the season and the day’s catch, but on the day of our visit, it featured 15 kinds of seasonal seafood—including fresh bluefin tuna, kinmedai (splendid alfonsino), and botan shrimp—arranged so beautifully it was truly mesmerizing.
The chirashi sushi is vividly colorful, almost like a flower field.
By the way, the sashimi here is prepared using a technique called low-temperature aging. During this process, proteins naturally break down into amino acids that boost umami. This enhances the flavor while keeping the texture firm, resulting in even more delicious sashimi.
In the center of the chirashi sushi, you’ll find a bamboo container holding a vinegar-based jelly.
This refined jelly is made by blending dashi with pickled ginger vinegar and setting it into a gel. When you pour it over the chirashi sushi and mix it in, the flavor of the dashi spreads throughout, making the dish even more aromatic and flavorful.
The chirashi sushi portion of the rice bowl features a variety of ingredients such as tobikko (flying fish roe) and ikura (salmon roe) which offer a fun, popping texture, as well as shirasu (whitebait).
You can pour the jelly over the entire dish or scoop your preferred amount with chopsticks or a spoon and add it as you like.
The tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) made exclusively for the Tsukiji-jyougai rice bowl, is seasoned with a strong dashi flavor and finished slightly sweet, making it a perfect match with the jelly.
Inside the restaurant, you’ll find illustrated pamphlets explaining how to best enjoy the Tsukiji-jyougai rice bowl in English and French.
Also, keep an eye out for lunch-only seafood bowls available at a significant discount when paying with cash.
“Salmon roe rice bowl”: Enjoy topping your bowl yourself with these ocean jewels
For those who love the popping texture and natural sweetness of ikura, the “Salmon roe rice bowl” is a must-try.
Served with a bowl of white rice and a separate pot of ikura, the fun lies in pouring the roe over your rice yourself.
“壷イクラ丼,” Salmon roe rice bowl 2,800 JPY (tax included)
Bright and jewel-like, the ikura shines with an irresistible charm. The rice is topped with shredded nori seaweed, and sweet-sour pickled ginger adds a refreshing accent.
Enjoying it with wasabi adds a pleasant kick and another layer of flavor.
The pot is filled with a surprisingly generous amount of ikura—more than you might expect! The volume and quality you get for 2,800 JPY feels like a dream come true for lovers of salmon roe.
The rich saltiness and umami—like the essence of the ocean packed into each bite—combined with the bursting texture in your mouth, make for an exceptional experience. Be sure to try it at least once!
The namesake “Kashigashira rice bowl” showcases the owner’s seafood expertise
While bluefin tuna is the star for many locals and international tourists alike, Japan is home to many lesser-known but equally delicious fish.
The “Kashigashira rice bowl,” named after the restaurant, is a proud creation of the owner, featuring a generous serving of carefully selected seasonal toppings.
On this particular day, the bowl featured 16 types of seafood: salmon, sayori (Japanese halfbeak), kinmedai, kisu (Japanese whiting), kanpachi (greater amberjack), tachiuo (beltfish), hōbō (spiny red gurnard), akahata (redbanded grouper), nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), kasugo (young sea bream), mizudako (giant Pacific octopus), madai (red sea bream), honmaguro, shima ebi (morotoge shrimp), uni (sea urchin), and ikura.
You can fully enjoy this carefully aged, umami-rich seafood to your heart’s content.
“河岸頭丼,” Kashigashira rice bowl 3,800 JPY (tax included)
The blackthroat seaperch is considered a luxury fish in Japan. With a limited habitat and low catch volumes, it’s prized for its tender texture and rich fat, enjoying a level of popularity that rivals tuna.
In this dish, it’s served skin-side-up and lightly seared. The skin portion is the most delicious, and searing brings out the fat, increasing the umami even more.
Orders at Sashimi Bar Kashigashira are made via a self-order system: Scan the QR code at your table with your smartphone. The menu appears in Japanese, but your browser’s translation function can convert it into your preferred language.
During the daytime, the restaurant offers a wide variety of reasonably priced seafood bowls. In the evening, only reservation-based course meals are available.
Lunchtime is particularly crowded. If there’s a line, it forms by wrapping around to the right from the entrance, so join at the back. Going slightly before opening time or during off-peak lunch hours is recommended.
So if you’re craving truly great fish, head over to Sashimi Bar Kashigashira—a place where you can encounter rare, high-quality seafood you won’t easily find elsewhere!
Information
| Store name | 刺身BAR 河岸頭 Sashimi Bar Kashigashira |
|---|---|
| Address | Lions Mansion Higashi-Ginza B1F, 4-12-2 Tsukiji, Chūō-ku, Tokyo
|
| Access |
Tsukiji Station 4-minute walk from Exit 1
Tsukijishijō Station 5-minute walk from Exit A1
|
| Phone number | 03-6383-4597 |
| Reservations | Accepted for dinnertime only Phone, Official website, Tabelog, Hot Pepper Gourmet |
| Payment |
during lunchtime, only cash and PayPay are accepted |
| Service charge/Table charge | None |
| Hours | Mon-Tue. & Thurs-Sat. 11:30-15:00, 18:00-23:00（last order: food, 21:30） Sun. & nat’l holidays 11:30-15:00 |
| Closed | Wednesday |
| Seating | 32 seats 12 counter seats, 20 table seats |
| Smoking | All seats are non-smoking |
| Official website | https://www.instagram.com/kashigashira/ |
| Other information |
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※Menu contents, prices, store information, etc. are current as of June 2025.
