Old Tsukiji market question
 

I understand the outer market restaurants are still open - is that true?
Also there was a retail market where one could buy fresh fish in pre-packaged reasonable size - lots of choices and very fresh. Does that market still exist or did it move to the new market?

Yes the old outer market is still open. Most of the stores are still there. You can buy fresh fish there. There is an inside part that is a lot more spacious to buy fish and seafood for cooking.

Thanks so much - I remember a long L shaped a/c area with lots of stalls selling freshly cut up sashimi type fish and also lots of others with various offerings - can't forget a tray of uni that I purchased and was hoping to repeat that on my next visit.
Do the places selling snacks freshly cooked/opened - like giant oysters, etc still remain (but perhaps open later than they used to)?

Yes they are still open and they still sell fresh tuna, grilled scallops, and cut up uni. I was just there 3 weeks ago and had fatty tuna and grilled scallops.

Yes, the outer market restos are still open. So delicious! The indoor markets were also open but some appeared to have limited choices by mid-day.
For our final night in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago, we picked up some salmon, tuna, scallops and uni and they packed them in ice and we took them back to our Airbnb for dinner. They even included wasabi in the trays.

Tsukeji or New Fish Market
 

Will be in Tokyo next month for the 4th time, but first since the new fish market opened. I did the tuna auctions the first time I went, but each time I go I make sure to go and eat a chirashi bowl + stock up on Japanese Knifes & porcelains. I know that the old tsukeji outer market is still open, so which would be best to visit for these things? Or are both good options...

I visited the new fish market earlier this year and was quite underwhelmed. The place is a little too sterile and has lost most of its' character now; If you had already visited the old inner market (and seen the tuna auction) then my personal recommendation would be to not bother with Toyosu.

Thanks. Good to know. Hope the old outer market is still as fun to visit!

I was there November 2018 and the outer market was still a blast! The knife vendors and other shops are still very much in business. There is also a relatively new area with fish vendors that wished to maintain a presence in the Tsukiji area. I will not hesitate to go back there when I return February 2020.

Why don't you go to kitchen street for the knives and such? Kappabashi, in Asakusa area

Tsukiji outer market is vibrant as ever, and packed with visitors even on weekdays.
As for Toyosu, as others have said, it's a modern, sterile complex. While the move makes sense considering that it's, you know, an actual market, I don't see much point for tourists to visit. I have family that works in Toyosu, and trust me--there's not much to see outside of the market either.

The best knife stores - Sugimoto, Masamoto, Aritsugi - are still in Tsukiji Outer Market, although there are one or two good ones in other parts of town like Kappabashi (where Kamata is located). And Tsukiji certainly has better food options than Kappabashi. The shops in Tsukiji do close early though.