❖ Meet at Shijo-mae Station

0:15 h (06:30 - 06:45)

Meet your host and the chef at the ticket gate of Shijo-mae Station at 06:30. A short briefing on the morning ahead, then straight into Toyosu Market through the professional entry.

❖ Toyosu Market - Restricted Wholesale Floor

0:45 h (06:45 - 07:30)

Step onto the working floor normally reserved for licensed buyers. The chef walks you through how professionals evaluate seafood: seasonality, fat content, texture, species and origin. You meet specialised vendors who supply Tokyo's top restaurants and watch real negotiations between buyers and sellers.

❖ Ingredient Discovery and Selection

0:45 h (07:30 - 08:15)

The second pass through the market is hands-on: working with the chef, you select the seafood that will become your meal. Depending on the morning's catch, this may include bluefin tuna, sea urchin, rare seasonal fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Your selections define the menu.

❖ Vegetable and Dry Goods Wholesale Area

0:30 h (08:15 - 08:45)

A walk through the adjacent vegetable and dry goods wholesale sections rounds out the picture of how a Tokyo restaurant sources ingredients. Seasonal produce, aged rice, soy sauces and specialist pantry items that rarely reach the retail market.

❖ Transfer to the Private Chef's Table

0:30 h (08:45 - 09:30)

Your host arranges a taxi or Uber to restaurant 81 in Shirokane and briefs the driver; the host travels separately by motorcycle and greets you at the door. The transfer takes around twenty to thirty minutes depending on traffic. The fare (approximately ¥4,000) is settled directly with the driver by card.

❖ Preparation and Cooking Session

1:00 h (09:30 - 10:30)

You are welcomed into the kitchen rather than seated in the dining room. The chef introduces the ingredients you selected and the techniques he will use: fish breakdown, Japanese and international knife work, decisions on raw, cured, aged or cooked preparations, and the logic of seasoning, timing and temperature. The pace is interactive and educational.

❖ Private Tasting at the Chef's Table

1:00 h (10:30 - 11:30)

Once preparation is complete you move to the counter for a multi-course meal built entirely from your market choices. Courses typically run from sashimi and lightly cured preparations through grilled or warm dishes, with seasonal accompaniments. Each dish is presented and explained by the chef.

Our Chef and Guide

Paco La Monica - Executive Chef at 81. With a career spanning some of the world's most acclaimed kitchens, Paco brings a deep well of global experience and culinary insight. Trained at Noma (Copenhagen), Gaggan (Bangkok), and KOKS (Faroe Islands). In Japan he co-managed a boutique hotel in Nagano and studied kaiseki at Satoyama Jujo. Former Sous Chef at Gucci Osteria Ginza and Executive Chef at the American Club Tokyo, where he led the kitchen build and opening from scratch. Now co-leading the next chapter of restaurant 81, developing new culinary horizons between Tokyo and Niseko.

Alessio Gorni - Brand Engagement at 81. With a multidisciplinary background spanning fine arts, event production and hospitality, Alessio has worked across Europe, Australia and Japan, building a career at the intersection of creativity and communication. From opening a community-oriented pizza store in his hometown to high-performing PR and sales roles in Japan, he co-founded a platform for creative avant-garde art experiences in Tokyo and now bridges vision with execution for 81, connecting concept and experience to partners and clients.