Why is Katsuura known for tuna?

Katsuura fishing port, in the town of Nachikatsuura, lands more fresh tuna (namamaguro, tuna that arrives chilled and never frozen) than any other port in Japan, caught mainly by longline boats. The wholesale market auctions tuna from 7:00 on most mornings, and anyone can watch free from TSUNAGOOD, a viewing space above the market floor. The market is closed every Saturday, and tuna is not auctioned on most Tuesdays or on some other holidays, so check the market calendar first. Next door, the Katsuura Nigiwai Market sells tuna meals from 8:00 and holds tuna-cutting shows, and paid guided tours of the auction are also available.

Do you need to pay or book ahead to watch the auction?

No. TSUNAGOOD, the viewing space on the upper floor of the market's second sales building, is free and needs no reservation; arrive by 7:00 and you can watch the auction on the floor below. Paid guided tours give a closer, narrated view, but they are optional.

Katsuura Tuna Market — Japan's #1 Fresh Tuna Port

Fresh, not frozen: the distinction that matters

Much of the tuna sold in Japan is frozen at sea so it can survive long voyages. The tuna landed at Katsuura comes in chilled on ice instead, never frozen. The local geopark explains why buyers care: in fresh tuna the cells are not damaged by freezing and thawing, so the flesh stays firm and does not smell fishy. Bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin, among other species, are landed here through the year. Nachikatsuura calls itself Japan's number-one town for fresh tuna, and the harbourside Nigiwai Market makes the same claim.

The Katsuura auction does not look like the shouting matches people picture from Tokyo. It is a tender auction (nyusatsu): tuna are laid out in rows on the floor, buyers walk the rows inspecting each fish, and bids are written down rather than called out. It is quiet, fast and very much a working market, over in about half an hour. Watching it is watching the supply chain for a fish most people only ever see sliced on a plate.

By the time the Nigiwai Market opens at 8:00, some of that morning's tuna is already on sale as sashimi and rice bowls a few steps away. That is the other reason to come early: breakfast of tuna that was on the auction floor an hour before.

The Katsuura fish market building with a large tuna mural, a sightseeing boat moored in front — The Katsuura fish market building, where the tuna auction takes place.

Which mornings can you see the auction?

The Katsuura market runs on its own calendar, published each year by JF Wakayama (the Wakayama prefectural fisheries federation). The weekly pattern below holds for most of 2026, but there are extra closures around holidays.

Katsuura tuna auction and Nigiwai Market: typical weekly pattern in 2026
Day	Tuna auction (from 7:00)	Nigiwai Market (8:00–16:00)
Sunday	Usually held	Open
Monday	Usually held	Open
Tuesday	Usually no tuna auction (the market closes for tuna and other large fish)	Closed
Wednesday – Friday	Usually held	Open
Saturday	Market fully closed	Open

Source: JF Wakayama — Katsuura market calendar 2026 (PDF) and the Nachikatsuura town page for the Nigiwai Market. The market also closes on some days before national holidays, over New Year and for part of the mid-August Obon holiday, and very occasionally opens on a normal closing day. Always check the calendar for your date.

Before you go

TSUNAGOOD opened in December 2017. Besides the view of the auction, it has panels on longline fishing and the Nanki Kumano Geopark, photos of the port in the early Showa era, and a life-size banner of a record bluefin landed in 2017. It closes on the same days as the market.

The Nachikatsuura Tourism Organization runs guided auction tours with a local guide and earphones, watching from the upper floor of the first or second sales building. A guide-only version runs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and can be booked until 7:00 the day before; versions with breakfast or a tuna tasting need at least two adults and finish around 8:30. There are no tours on Tuesdays or market holidays. Book through nachikan.jp.

The Katsuura Nigiwai Market, a short walk away on the harbour, is open 8:00–16:00 (restaurant last orders 30 minutes before closing) and closed on Tuesdays. It has a direct-sales corner, nine small restaurants and shops selling sushi and tuna dishes, and a harbour-view deck. Tuna-cutting shows are held in the event corner at the back; they do not need the early start the auction does, but show times vary, so ask on arrival.

For a longer experience, the tourism organization also sells a tuna-cutting show with a sushi lunch at the Nigiwai Market, from ¥5,000 per person for two or more, between 11:00 and 14:00 (not on Tuesdays).

Katsuura pairs naturally with Nachi Falls and Kumano Nachi Taisha, about 30 minutes away by bus: auction at 7:00, tuna breakfast at 8:00, and the falls by mid-morning. If you are here on July 14th, the Nachi Fire Festival takes most of the day.

A Kii-Katsuura shopping street with tuna-shaped decorations on the street lamps — Tuna-shaped decorations on the street lamps of Kii-Katsuura's shopping street, near the station.

Ways to see Katsuura's tuna, compared

You can see the port's tuna for free in two ways, or pay for a guide and a meal.

Katsuura tuna market options: time, cost and booking
Option	When	Cost	Booking
TSUNAGOOD viewing space	From 7:00 on auction days	Free	Not needed
Guided auction tour (guide only)	Wed, Thu, Fri mornings	Paid	By 7:00 the day before, via nachikan.jp
Guided auction tour with breakfast or tasting	Auction mornings except Tuesdays; ends around 8:30	Paid (min. 2 adults)	Via nachikan.jp
Tuna-cutting show at Nigiwai Market	On market days (closed Tue)	Free to watch	Not needed
Tuna-cutting show + sushi lunch	11:00 – 14:00, not Tuesdays	From ¥5,000 per person	Via nachikan.jp (min. 2)

Sources: Nachikatsuura Tourism Organization — auction tour, tuna-cutting show and sushi lunch and the Nachikatsuura town page on TSUNAGOOD. Tour prices vary by plan and are shown at booking.

Getting to Katsuura Tuna Market

Take the JR Kuroshio limited express from Shin-Osaka or Tennoji to Kii-Katsuura Station, about 3.5 to 4 hours; not every Kuroshio runs this far, so check for a through train. The fish market and the Nigiwai Market are on the harbour in the Tsukiji district, a walk of roughly five to ten minutes from the station.

Because the auction starts at 7:00, you realistically need to sleep in Katsuura the night before. The onsen hotels around the harbour, covered in the Nachi and Katsuura guide, are close enough to walk to the market and be back for breakfast.

Driving? The Nigiwai Market has a small paid car park of about 24 spaces, and TSUNAGOOD visitors are asked to use the Nigiwai Market's partner parking.

Primary sources

Last updated: 2026-09-23