Tokyo Fishing & Fresh Catch Japanese Cuisine (English Guide)

Amazing experience, great fishing and spectacular meal

Phenomenal experience fishing in Tokyo Bay! It wasn't one of those deep sea trips where you have to ride two nauseous hours just to cast your line - 15 minutes out of the harbor to the first location only a few hundred meters from shore. We were picked up very early in Tokyo and driven all the way to the harbor. Ship departed at 6 am and returned at noon. We had 2-3 other fishers on the boat with us but had the whole port side to ourselves. Very peaceful, lovely day. The boat was constantly moving to get us to the right locations. We got good instructions about how to cast, how to reel, and how to handle fish on our line, but it was pleasantly hands off after that - I felt like I was actually fishing, not holding a rod while someone else did all the work. We caught TONS of fish of maybe 3-4 different varieties (sea bream, horse mackerel included). This was not deep sea fishing for 600 pound tuna or marlin, though. The highlight of the trip was going to a restaurant for lunch afterwards, where everything we caught was turned into a SIX COURSE specially prepared meal - carpaccio, sashimi, pasta, and pizza - all featuring our fish. Each dish was more delicious and innovative than the last. We were returned to a south Tokyo train station around 3 pm - be warned, it is a pretty full day effort. I would not try to pack in another tourist activity in the afternoon. Great experience, one of the biggest highlights of our two week trip across Japan. Would definitely recommend and would love to go again next time we are in Tokyo!

via Tripadvisor

Memorable Day with an Excellent Guide

Suzuki-san picked me up at my Tokyo hotel at exactly the time he promised. He also was very efficient in teying to my pre-trip inquiries. The whole excursion was incredible and while appearing to be a bit expensive, the value was far more than the price. Suzuki-san has a broad command of English. He was great at explaining every aspect of the trip, most helpful in making the day an outstanding, magnificent and most memorable day spent catching lots of fish in the four hours spent on Tokyo Bay. This is a rather unique program in that after the fishing was complete we took our catch to a sushi restaurant who expertly prepared our fish in many ways. To say the fish was as fresh as it gets would be stating the obvious. While I enjoyed the trip on my own, I’d like to do it with my family and/or friends one day. I think this program would also be well suited to a company outing, perhaps as a team building or reward for reaching prescribed objectives to recognize high achievers. I think Suzuki-san’s background lends itself very highly to creating trips for corporations and other organizations. I’ve traveled the world and have taken many local, specialized tours, but this one is the most unique and well presented I’ve taken. Suzuki-san’s intelligence, outgoing personality, along with his passion for his job provides for a wonderful day.

via Viator

Spectacular Fishing Expedition!

Suzukisan creates an incredible experience and is extremely thoughtful as well as very communicative. He picked me up directly from my hotel (which I had changed and this was no problem given how responsive he is on WhatsApp). He even makes a quick pit stop before the port (about an hour away from Tokyo) where you can pick up extra water and snacks if you forgot, and can also use a very clean bathroom (there is a small bathroom on the boat too, though I didn’t use it). You get on the boat around 0630 and come back to port about 1330. So bring lots of water and sun gear. I had a visor, sunglasses and a long sleeve sunshirt. Japanese law requires life vests and the one you get can be a bit hot so take breaks in shade and again, bring lots of water! Suzukisan is a wonderful teacher and we caught a beautiful variety of fish including Snapper, Yellowtail, and Mackerel. You share the boat with locals and others on fishing excursions. A nice local man shared a Sea Bream with us. After fishing Suzukisan takes you to Kawasaki (about an hour away from the port) and to a delightful izakaya that prepares all the fish. We had sashimi, karage, tempura, katsu, and grilled dishes of all our amazing catches. Finished with traditional soba noodles and served with buckwheat tea. You can order off the izakaya if you want (you pay for those items separately) but honestly you don’t need anything extra! Suzukisan had previously requested for us to take the train back to our hotels (this is a heavy traffic time in Tokyo and the metro is MUCH faster). I simply got on the Keikyu Line three blocks from the Izakaya, and it was a straight shot back to Nihombashi where I am staying, avoiding rush hour traffic for both myself and Suzukisan. The whole day is a bit over 12 hours as you get picked up around 0400 and I was back to my hotel about 1630. I brought a few items to change into at the Izakaya so I wasn’t hanging around in fishy items nor was I traveling on the metro in a dirty sunshirt. The day is planned out perfectly. The fishing is really fun. The meal is INCREDIBLE. I imagine this will be the best meal of my trip. I would recommend this to anyone who loves being on the water and loves fresh seafood.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much Karin for the wonderful review! We are thrilled to hear that the entire day went so smoothly, from the WhatsApp coordination to the variety of fish caught—Snapper, Yellowtail, and Mackerel. Knowing our izakaya feast was the best meal of your trip means the world to us! It was an absolute pleasure hosting you. Wishing you safe travels, and hope to see you again!

via Viator

The Most Fun You Can Have Visiting Tokyo!

It If I could give this 6/5 stars, I would. My husband, daughter (12) and I went together and it was well worth every penny. Our guide picked us up from our rental apartment and drove us to the fishing location, pointing out interesting sights along the way. At the marina, we boarded a large fishing boat that had a western style restroom, a shaded deck with seating, and another sitting room out of the sun. These features were nice to have for our daughter, who eventually became tired and wanted a break from the sun. The best part, of course, was the fishing. We were reeling in aji / horse mackerel and scorpion fish left and right, and left with >50 fish (not counting the little guys we threw back)! Our guide took photos of / for us during the experience, too, which was very nice. Afterward, he took us to a wonderful restaurant where they prepared a variety of Japanese dishes with our freshly-caught fish. The taste was amazing, and the presentation just as good. The whole experience (both fishing and restaurant) was excellent. This is very possibly the most fun and unique way available to spend the day in the Tokyo area. Imagine eating ultra-fresh sashimi that you just reeled in yourself from the Tokyo Bay! It’s such a cool experience. And if you’re not a seasoned angler, don’t worry, your guide will be more than capable of assisting you with proper technique. This activity is suitable to anyone, beginner, expert and in between.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for such a glowing review! Hearing that you would give us 6/5 stars means the world to us. We’re so glad your daughter felt comfortable on the boat and that everyone enjoyed catching over 50 fish, the photo memories, and the fresh sashimi lunch. It was a true pleasure guiding your lovely family. Hope to welcome you all back to Tokyo again!

via Viator

Incredibly unique, fun experience, mildly misleading and overpriced

I felt conflicted, so wanted to leave a review as a means to rationalize it in the form of pros and cons. Pros: The experience of being on the boat with Japanese locals who do this daily was incredibly unique. The ability to have the kitchen staff prepare and cook your catches in numerous ways was an experience like no other. I felt incredibly connected to the act of fishing as a full-circle experience, not just a means to an end. The host even cut sashimi from a catch in front of me on the boat, while I fished. Being driven to and from all locations (with pickup and dropoff of my choice) was valuable. The host’s experience in helping with anything fishing related and providing his knowledge throughout was certainly a value add compared to if I did this myself. Cons: The price. ~$450 for this experience felt drastically overpriced to me. I translated the sign in the fishing house, which appeared to me that I could’ve gone on the boat for ~$75. This doesn’t include the hands-on support and the gear, but the price discrepancy was more drastic than I would argue the value added was. The single-person occupancy charge was baseless in my opinion… being by myself in my opinion did not warrant $45 additional on what was an already expensive experience. The quality of the fishing itself… the experience made it seem like I would have access to a wide range of wild fish which would translate to the variety in the meal. In reality, you’ll be lucky to catch anything that isn’t a horse mackerel. I caught ~14 fish, 12 of which are horse mackerel, 2 of which were other small fish. The large fish you see in the photos are misleading, so I got my hopes up for a quality of fishing that was not true. There was a 3 hour period where I didn’t catch a single fish (which the host cannot control) but it dampened what I was expecting to be a smoother experience. All in all, a solid experience. But the price, baseless surcharge, and misleading fishing quality made this review what it is. If you want to pay that fee, knowing what to expect with the fishing quality, then by all means, you’ll still have a great time.

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing such a detailed, balanced, and honest review. We truly appreciate both your high praise for the unique experiences and your constructive feedback regarding our pricing and fish variety. We are delighted that you valued the "full-circle" experience—from the seamless pickup to the fresh sashimi cut on board and the final multi-course meal. Creating that deep connection to fishing is exactly what ATSUKU strives for. Regarding the pricing, we understand your perspective. The local boat sign reflects just the raw boarding fee for standard group fishing. Our premium pricing covers the comprehensive, private nature of the tour: customized door-to-door transportation, high-end gear, and dedicated, one-on-one expert guiding to ensure absolute beginners can fish safely and comfortably. The single-occupancy charge helps offset the fixed operational and transport costs for a solo trip. However, we take your feedback seriously as we continuously evaluate our value. As for the catch, seasonal horse mackerel (Aji) is indeed our main target due to its high density and exceptional taste when fresh. While nature dictates the daily movement of larger or more varied species, we apologize if our photos created a misleading expectation. We will work on making our target species clearer on our page. Thank you again for helping us grow. We are glad you had a solid experience overall, and we wish you the very best in your travels.

via Tripadvisor