A Guide to Visiting Omicho Market and What to Eat – Kanazawa, Japan

January 2025

A Guide to Visiting Omicho Market and What to Eat – Kanazawa, Japan

Omicho Market is one of Kanazawa’s highlights and for good reason – there is nothing quite like a Japanese food market and this one is extensive. Dating back to 1721, Omicho Market features over 180 stalls to choose from, many of which focus solely on fresh caught seafood. The hours of operation for the market are limited to 9AM-5PM so pay attention and make sure to come for lunch or early dinner if you intend on eating here. There are some exceptions with a handful being open earlier and later but for the most part, those are the most active hours of operation. As you can imagine, the lunch crowd is bopping so if you are flexible to eat slightly off hours, you may save yourself some waiting time.

This market is truly enormous and covers two floors with countless alleys and side streets to explore. It is impossible to try it all so the best approach is to go in with a plan of what you were in the mood to eat. As mentioned, Omicho Market is primarily a seafood market and raw fish is supreme. You will find it in all sorts but in a donburi bowl is most prevalent, followed by sushi. Even during our visit, not every stand was open due to many taking extended holidays and it was still overwhelming how many options there are. And as always in Japan, if you follow the lines, queue for where the crowds are, and willing to wait – that is a good solution to select where you eat. 

In addition to the many stands, there are also micro restaurants throughout where you can enjoy a more formal sit down experience if you want something away from the street food scene. It will take longer both queuing and dining but there are some fantastic options.

I was happy we came here having already had lunch as it was impossible to make a decision on what to eat – everything looked so good and also looked very similar so it was hard to differentiate between all the stands. And I would say only half the stands were even open to begin with – it is that big! It was also mobbed with a lunch crowd so I was glad that the businesses that chose to be open were getting traffic.

Once we finished a lap on the ground floor, we ventured up to the second floor – yes, there are two floors to explore and even more options to choose from. The second floor is only restaurant styled venues and offers a bit more variety if you are looking for something away from raw seafood. It is amazing how much they are able to fit in the space even if it is a giant building. 

While we did not eat anything during our afternoon visit, we did eat at one of the restaurants that evening, Yajimon. It was quite literally the only thing open we could find after searching multiple restaurants and even having the hotel staff helping call for us. It wasn’t the most spectacular meal of our lives but it did the trick and it was some protein and veggies, even if it was tempura so in the end, we did eat at Omicho Market.

A visit to Omicho Market is certainly a must when visiting Kanazawa – the opportunity to enjoy fresh seafood locally caught and served right onsite is a pretty darn special travel experience. 

Continue reading all the details of our trip – here!

To see our full itinerary – here!

Read what to expect in Japan – here!

My complete packing list for Japan – here!

See all blog posts for Japan – here!