Japanese grocery stores in the United States and territories

posted on 25 Jan 2008 by maki :: 19 comments

Japanese grocery stores and stores selling food-related items in the United States. Note that California and the New York-New Jersey - Connecticut areas have their own pages.

Nationwide chains

99 Ranch Market: Chinese and English web site; Chinese chain. General Asian food supplies. Many locations throughout California, one in Las Vegas, two in Washington State, one in Georgia.

Daiso: English web site; Worldwide store list; Daiso is a Japanese dollar store type chain. They seem to be expanding rapidly overseas. They have 9 stores in the U.S. as of Feb. 2008 according to their website, all in California and Washington State, but keep checking to see if they are opening more. A good source of cheap kitchenware, tableware, non-perishable food items and bento supplies (selection differs according to the location).

Han Ah Rheum/Super-H/H-Mart

Mitsuwa: www.mitsuwa.com; Stores in California, Illinois and New Jersey (addresses listed below in the regional sections). Mostly supermarket size stores. Often with a mini-mall with independent stores attached.

Arizona

Tucson

17th Street Farmer’s Market: 840 E 17th St.; Tucson, AZ 85719; Phone: (520) 792-2588; Comments: “Also a fairly large market with lots of locally grown produce and a really nice fish market. This market doesn’t supply as much as G & L (see below) however but does have a fairly decent Asian grocery section. -(Reiko)

G &L Imports: 4828 E 22nd St.; Tucson, AZ 85711; Phone: (520) 790-9016; Comments: “This is a fairly large market for lots of different types of Asian groceries and household items. Additionally, they have a warm foods cabinet where you can get char-siu, bao, noodles, and the occasional bbq duck. They will also take orders for any of their hot foods if you like to order in advance for pick up.” -(Reiko)

Sandyi Oriental Market: 4270 E Pima St.; Tucson, AZ 85712; Phone: (520) 320-0389; Comments: “Mostly a Korean market but has LOTS of Japanese groceries and household items. This is my favorite place to shop and not just because it’s less than five minutes away from where I live. It’s a small store but clean and well organized and run by a very friendly family. Often this store carries some of the harder-to-obtain items that can’t be found at the other markets in my area (like a huge selection of pre-packaged tsukemono, ice cream bars, new crop rice, and many different types of frozen fish). I also come here because the owners make take-out foods like spicy fried chicken and sushi, all nicely packaged up. They also offer fresh bakery goods, individually packaged.” -(Reiko)

California

See the California page.

Colorado

Pacific Mercantile Co: 1925 Lawrence St; Denver, CO USA; 303-295-0293; www.pacificeastwest.com; Comments: “I’ve shopped here for years. Beautiful produce, excellent fresh fish counter, foods from or used in Japan — canned, frozen, dry-packaged. Large varieties of rice, seaweed, noodles, tea. They also have a housewares section. The store is downtown so parking is metered.” - (Harper)

Pacific Ocean Int’l Supermarket: 2200 W Alameda Ave # 2B; Denver, CO 80223; (303) 935-2470; Comments: “Chinese, Japanese and other Asian products. Very large (larger than it looks from outside). Large nice produce selection. This is where I come if I can’t find something anyplace else. Not a lot of ambience and the location looks run-down but lots of parking and good prices.” - (Harper)

Georgia

Atlanta area

Buford Highway Farmers Market: 5600 Buford Highway; Doraville, GA 30340; Tel: (770) 455-0770; Comments: “The store does have a bit of a funny smell to it but it is half spanish half asian. They have a good selection of food and a small area for kitchen supplies with onigiri molds and dumpling makers. Not bad if you know what you want.” -(Jessica)

Gwinnett International Farmers Market: 3825 Shackleford Road; Duluth, GA 30096; (770) 921-8288; Comments: “This store has much more kitchen items such as takoyaki pans, mandolin slicers, fish shaped pancake molds. They also have a good food selection and also an area with food to order.” -(Jessica)

Super H Mart: 2550 Pleasant Hill Rd; Atlanta, GA 30349; (678) 417-0206; Also at; 6335 State Route 85; Riverdale, GA 30274; (this location has more housewares, gift items, Sanrio, etc); Comments: “of course the creme of the crop. Very busy on the weekends but a great selection. They have 2 locations in the atlanta area and are building a 3rd this year.” - (Jessica)

Guam

Tokyo Mart: Monticello Plaza; Chalan San Antonio; Tamuning Guam; 671.646.6615; www.spej.co.jp/tm.htm; Comment: “Compact but fairly complete shop with twice a week shipments from Japan. Canned, frozen, dry goods, bakery items, fresh produce, fresh and frozen fish mainly from Japan, small meats selection from the US featuring Angus beef and Berkshire pork. Some European gourmet food items. There is a tiny kitchen that provides an extensive selection of ready made bento meals daily. Housewares, beauty and health products, Japanese-language video shop, and Japanese magazine subscription service also available. Located near Cost-U-Less, with a large adjacent parking lot.” - *santos*

Hawaii

Marukai Wholesale Mart: 2310 Kamehameha Highway; Honolulu, Hawaii 96819; Tel: (808) 845-5051; English and Japanese web site; Comments: “Japanese Food, Fresh Food, Bento, Asian Food, Hawaiian Food, Souvenirs(Chocolate, Cookies, Coffee, etc.), Liquor, Beddings and Furniture, Health Products, Home Furnishings, Appliances, and Antiques.” -(anon)

Illinois

Mitsuwa Chicago: 100 E. Algonquin Road; Arlington Heights, IL 60005; (847) 956-6699; English website, Japanese website; Said to have bento supplies. Open 7 days/week.

Sea Ranch Grocery: 3223 Lake Ave; Wilmette, IL 60091; (847) 256-7010; Comments: “My mom has shopped here for decades. It’s a small shop but densely packed with Japanese groceries. Next door is a fish store, you can order sushi platters or purchase slabs of fish that you can slice at home.” - (JO)

Indiana

Asia Oriental Market: 2400 Yeager Road; West Lafayette, IN; 765-463-4114; Comments:”They try to be a (small) grocery store that covers all of Asia, so their Japanese selection is a bit limited, but still worlds beyond a standard grocery store. Their produce isn’t good, but that have a lot of canned/dried/refrigerated stuff you can’t get much anywhere else around here.” -(Randomscrub)

One World Market: 8466 Castleton Corner Dr.; Indianapolis, IN 46250; Tel: (317) 842-3442; Comments: “We just visited this store today and were very pleased. It has a nice variety of everything, including fresh vegetables and fish as well as sushi. I don’t have the hours, but they are closed Monday.” -(anon)

Sakura Mart: 2450 E 71st St; Indianapolis, IN 46220; (317)726-1755; Small store, focusing mainly on pantry goods, frozen foods, and snacks, but they do have some housewares and fresh things. Their sushi-to-go case is a cut above as their sushi comes from the related Sakura Restaurant next door, which is often acknowledged as the best place in town for sushi. Some prices are a little high, but on the whole they are comparable to pan-Asian markets in the area, and have a much larger selection of Japanese goods than anywhere else in the Indy area. -(Denise)

Louisiana

New Orleans metro area

Hong Kong Market: 925 Behrman Highway; Gretna, LA; 504-361-8008; Comments: “They do not have a web site, but there is a good review with pictures here. This is a huge supermarket with an incredible selection of Asian foods. The market is located in a strip mall targeted towards the large Vietnamese population in New Orleans, but there are a lot of Japanese and Chinese products. There is a large frozen foods section (with green tea and red bean ice cream!) and a house wares section with dishes, sushi supplies, rice cookers, etc. They carry Japanese candies and sodas also. I have always been able to find what I am looking for there. They do not carry bento gear.” - (Traci)

Massachusetts

Kotobukiya: 1815 Mass Ave; Cambridge, MA 02140; Tel: 617-354-6914; http://www.kotobukiyamarket.com/”>Japanese and English web site; Comments: “Japanese grocer anchoring the Porter Square mall. There are also several small food shops once you’ve picked up your groceries. Very good selection, the stand-out being the produce, which concentrates on things you can’t get anywhere else in town, so what they have sells out quickly.” -(Pam)

Lotte: 297 Mass Ave; Cambridge, MA 02139; Tel: 617-661-1194; Comments: “Korean grocer. Small store, jam-packed with things like the biggest bags of red peppers I’ve ever seen. -(Pam)

Mirim: 152 Harvard Ave; Allston, MA 02134; Comments: “Korean-Japanese grocer. Tiny store with good selection.” -(Pam)

Reliable Market: 45 Union Square; Somerville, MA; Tel: 617-623-9620; Comments: “Korean-Japanese grocer. Large store with excellent selection and reasonable prices.” -(Pam)

Michigan

Several Japanese bloggers living in Michigan mentioned they go to the Mitsuwa supermarket near Chicago (see Illinois listings).

Hiller’s Marketplace: 3615 Washtenaw Avenue (in the Arborland Mall at US 23); Ann Arbor, MI 48104; Open 8 AM to 11 PM Monday through Saturday; 8 AM to 9 PM on Sunday; Tel: 734-677-2370; English web site; Comments: “This is a real surprise: a locally owned chain of grocers with a great selection of Japanese food. They may have only 2 packages of each item on the shelf, but they must have 50 different items. And they restock regularly so the stuff has not sat for years waiting for a buyer! They also have a whole freezer case devoted to frozen foods, and some refrigerated items. Apparently one of their stores has an even better selection “at 14 Mile and Haggerty Roads is home to Metro Detroit’s most extensive Japanese food selection. Come speak with Satomi Matsuda, who directs our Japanese services division to discover a whole world of new flavors and healthy eating.”” -(Tess)

Hua Xing Asia Market: 1867 Washtenaw Ave; Ypsilanti, MI 48197; Tel: (734) 528-3355; Comments: “Huge pan-Asian store. It used to be a car dealership and you can see that history in its current layout. There is a decent selection of Japanese staples, snacks, and frozen foods, but you have to go up and down the aisles because the store is not organized by “culture.” Good fresh produce (though sometimes it’s not so fresh). Live fish and turtles and frogs can be frightening, but they also have cleaned and filleted fish that is very fresh. They also have a selection of dishes and equipment.” -(Tess)

Korean Market: (It actually has a Korean name, but it escapes me right now -Tess); 3893 Platt Rd; Ann Arbor, MI 48108; Tel: (734) 487-9898; Comments: “Tiny store located in a strip-mall anchored by a gas station. It took me months to venture in because it looked so small, but when I did: WOW! Most of the merchandise is Korean, but they have the freshest Japanese vegetables anywhere. Occasionally they have very fresh fish. They stock all the Japanese staples you’ll need on shelves or refrigerated/frozen. They even have some equipment and dishes! Just think “skinny” and don’t even try to use the shopping carts: the aisles are that narrow.” -(Tess)

Koyama Shoten: 37176 Six Mile Rd; Livonia, MI 48152; Tel: 734-464-1480; Comments: “Although I like to shop at One World Market listed [below], since this store is only 5 minutes from my house, this is where I usually go to get quick, fresh, entirely lovely sushi and Japanese ingredients. Koyama Shoten is the typical small neighborhood-style store, however it stocks a very high-quality selection of fresh ingredients such as vegetables and fish. Both the frozen and the dry goods sections have almost anything you would need, but with less options than a big store. I like the basket on the front counter with its daily selection of warm roll-your-own hand rolls in convenience packaging. They rent Japanese videos and sell magazines, sundries, etc as well. And finally, I love that this store is a very friendly family-owned store!” -(anon); “They have a very nice and clean grocery store as well as a very friendly and helpful staff. They occasionally have a few bento boxes and they always have a small variety of picks, separators, and other kitchen items. They have a lovely selection of ceramics. They also rent movies and have magazines.” -(Kirsten)

Mirai: 42705 Grand River Ave, #B; Novi, Michigan, 48375; Tel: 248-374-3200; English and Japanese web site; Comments: “Mirai is such a special place here in the Detroit area, that even though it is not a grocery store, I feel that it must be mentioned. Where else in a Midwestern industrial state like Michigan could you possibly find 250 Japanese magazines? A broad selection of Japanese books and learning materials for children and adults? The PERFECT brush pen, as well as a good selection of brushes & ink stones for sumi-e, kanji paper, and other needs of the Japanese student? They have a coffee bar (green tea slushies!) and snacks in a refrigerated case, so maybe it counts as a grocery store after all. They also carry a good selection of origami paper and a few books, many gift and decorative items, Japanese cosmetics, and a huge rental video section.” -(anon)

Noble Fish: 45 E. 14 Mile Rd; Clawson,MI 48017-2132.; (248) 585-2314; “Sushi bar in back. Most comprehensive Japanese grocery store. Closed Mondays.” (from the web)

One World Market: 42705 Grand River Ave, #B; Novi MI 48375; Cross Streets: Between Market St and Constitution; Tel: 248-374-0844; Webpage with details; Comments: “This store is so big it really is a super-market, and is about the size of 3 small “neighborhood” Japanese grocery stores! You will find here a very large selection of beautiful fresh fish and an excellent variety of fresh Japanese vegetables. They also have a large case of frozen goods, a decent-sized section that stocks Japanese health and beauty aids and kitchen appliances, what looks to me to be a large selection of sake, and really wonderful sushi! I have heard that this store is the “sister store” to the locally highly-regarded Noble Fish. Both carry excellent and similar sushi. You can rent Japanese videos and buy Japanese books, magazines, cosmetics, origami paper, writing materials, etc from Mirai 2 doors north.” -(anon); “All Japanese groceries. Very fresh fish, nice produce, large frozen food section, lots of Japanese snacks and pantry staples, some dishes/equipment.” -(Tess)

Oriental Mart: 2800 East Grand River Ave.; East Lansing, MI 48823; (517) 337-2519; Comments: “Very large grocery store. Everything for Chinese, Japanese, Indian cooking and more. Organized vaguely by region. Fresh fish, produce, cooking equipment etc. Staff very helpful.” - (Todd)

Tsai Grocery: 3115 Oak Valley Drive; Cross Streets: Between Airey Ct and Scio Church Rd; Ann Arbor, MI 48103; Tel: 734-995-0422; Comments: “This store is as big as One World Market, but it has less Japanese items overall, as it has well-stocked subsections of Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, and Philippine ingredients as well. It has good sushi which comes from a restaurant (Godaiko) a few doors away. The produce selection is fresh and varied, and there are more choices in the frozen and meat sections since other Asian cuisines are represented. The store carries interesting sundry items as well. This is a great place to shop, but quite a drive from most of the Detroit suburbs where there are other good options, although without as many ingredients from different Asian cultures under one storefront.” -(anon); “Good selection of Japanese food (they also own the Japanese restaurant next door), especially a good variety of miso, tofu, konyaku, pickles, and other refrigerated items. The Japanese sections are separated from other Asian foods: soy sauce, tamari, vinegar, noodles, canned goods, and snacks have shelf space distinct from Chinese, Korean, Thai etc. merchandise. Large selection of frozen foods (fish, meats, prepared products). Some cheap household goods (plastic strainers, flip flops, vegetable peelers), some nice dishes, good electric rice cookers and other equipment.” -(Tess)

Minnesota

United Noodles: 2015 E 24th Street; Minneapolis, MN 55404; Monday to Saturday: 9am - 7pm, Sunday: 9am - 6pm; Tel: 612-721-6677 Fax: 612-721-2019; Email: info [at] unitednoodles [dot] com; Website; Comments: “has some Japanese products, not a whole lot.” -(JO); “i’m not sure how long it’s been since you’ve been to united noodles, but last time i was there (last month), they had expanded their japanese products considerably. nothing compared to, say, uwajimaya in portland, but they do carry stuff that i’ve had a difficult time finding here in chicago, such as the ajishima brand furikake with no preservatives or MSG. i always stock up whenever i go home and end up coming back with more food in my suitcase than clothing. ^^” -(army_kitten)

Nevada

99 Ranch Market: (owned and operated by independent licensee, whatever that means); 4155 W. Spring Mountain Road; Las Vegas, NV 89102; Tel: (702) 364-8899; Hours: 8:30 am - 10:00 pm; Part of 99 Ranch chain of Chinese/Asian markets. See top of page for details.

New York, North New Jersey, Connecticut

See the NY-NJ-CT page.

Ohio

Jungle Jim’s International Grocery: 5440 Dixie Hwy (Rte. 4); Fairfield, OH 45014; Phone: 513-674-6000, Fax: 513-674-6001; Email: contactus at junglejims dot com; 7 Days a Week 8am - 10pm; Web site; Comments: “This is in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, a huge six-acre grocery store that specializes in carrying foodstuffs from around the world as well as more everyday grocery items. Their Japanese section is pretty well stocked with frozen and non-perishables. To date, I have not noticed any bento boxes, although they do carry some chopsticks and onigiri molds in the cookware section, which is worth a look. A must-see for any foodie, really.” -(DM)

Tensuke Market: 1167 Old Henderson Rd; Columbus, OH 43220; 614-451-6002; Mon-Sat 10:00 - ?, Sun 12:00 - ?; Comments: “Popular Japanese grocery store with a decent selection of perishables, non-perishables and frozen foods. They also carry sushi grade fish. Customers are primarily Japanese. In the same shopping center is a Japanese gift store, bakery, and a sushi bar.” -(DM); A fairly detailed review of their takeout sushi etc.

Pennsylvania and South New Jersey

Oregon

See below under Washington State/Oregon.

Texas

Hong Kong Marketplace: 1816 E. Pioneer Parkway; Arlington, TX 76010; Tel: (817)265-1488, Fax: (817)459-2345; Sunday - Thursday 9:00am - 9:00pm, Friday - Saturday 9:00am - 10:00pm; Website; See below for comments on the Dallas store.

Dallas area

Hong Kong Marketplace: 9780 Walnut St # 360 (North Dallas); Dallas, TX 75243; (972) 437-9888; Sunday - Thursday 9:00am - 9:00pm, Friday - Saturday 9:00am - 10:00pm; English website; Comments: “This is in North Dallas, and was my go to place for Asian cooking supplies when I lived there. There is a Japanese isle and an excellent selection of dried ramen, Asian vegetables, and seafood. If you go to get staples like soy sauce and rice vinegar, check out the versions on the Chinese isles. They are cheaper than the ones on the Japanese.” -(Susan)

Seabose Grocery, Sushi & Seafoods: 2760 Trinity Mills Road #102 (Far North Dallas); Carrollton, TX 75006; 214-483-5839; Japanese website; TUE-FRI 11:00-7:30, SAT 8:30-7:30, SUN 11:00-6:00; Tel: 214-483-5839, Fax: 214-483-2196; Comments: “Small, excellent Japanese grocery at Trinity Mills & Marsh. Sushi fish comes in on Tuesdays and Fridays. They are happy to answer questions and everything we’ve gotten from them has just been fantastic. Sushi available for takeout only; calling or faxing ahead is recommended.” -(Lyn never)

Shop Minoya: 3115 W Parker Rd; Plano, TX 75023; Tel: (972) 769-8346; Comments: “You can find almost all the basic Japanese ingredients you need, some kitchenware and bento supplies, frozen food, canned food, sweets and snacks, beverages and etc. I feel that the prices are reasonable too. This is one small authentic Japanese shop which I like to go even if I have totally no idea what I want to buy. I always leave the shop with several plastic bags of goodies. I absolutely love the shopping experience there!” - (Jaslene)

Houston area

Dun Huang Supermarket: 9889 Bellaire Blvd; Houston, TX, USA 77036; Comments: “I haven’t gone to this one yet because it’s new, but I’ll give you a ‘review’ when I check it out.” -(Steph)

Hong Kong Food Market: 11205 Bellaire Blvd; Houston, TX 77072; (281) 575-7886; Also at; 13400 Veterans Memorial Dr; Houston, TX, USA 77014; Tel: (281) 537-5280; Price range: $-$$, but mostly $; Comments: “I have been [to the Veterans Memorial Dr. store] a couple of times, and they do have some Japanese items and produce (like the other one on Bellaire Blvd), so it’s not too bad =) It has less of a selection of everything (it’s smaller) than the other one though. But it’s cleaner.” -(Steph)

Golden Foods Supermarket: 9896 Bellaire Blvd; Houston, TX, USA 77036; (713) 772-7882, (304) 325-6262; Price range: $-$$, but mostly $; Comments: “They (Hong Kong Food Market and Golden Foods Supermarket) sell all-around (though mostly chinese and vietnamese) asian products/food: I prefer ‘Golden Foods Supermarket’ between the other one though, because it is much cleaner and newer (just opened a year ago I think) than Hong Kong Food Market, but HKFM is bigger (at least I think so). But these are both pretty big, it’s just that HKFM smells xDD” -(Steph)

Nippan Daido: 11146 Westheimer Rd; Houston, TX 77042; (713) 785-0815; English and Japanese web site; Mini-chain with stores in White Plains NY, Fort Lee NJ, and Houston Tx. Food, housewares, kitchen appliances, video rentals.; Price range: $$ (moderate); (recommended by Steph)

Welcome Food Center (惠康超級市場): 9180 Bellare Blvd; Houston, TX, USA 77036; Tel: (713) 270-7789; Comments: :This one I have been to, but I went there a long time ago, so I can’t really remember if they have alot of Japanese items. I think they have a fair amount, but it’s mostly Chinese/Vietnamese.: -(Steph)

Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia

Daruma Japan Market: 6931 Arlington Rd.; Bethesda, MD 20814; (301)654-8832; Tue - Sat : 10:00 - 20:30; Sun : 11:00 - 18:00; Japanese only website (the owner also has a golf-oriented blog); “Largest selection of Japanese foods in the metro area.”

Han Ah Reum: 8103 Lee Hwy; Falls Church, VA 22042; (703)573-6300; See above Nationwide section. Korean grocery chain with many Japanese products.

Hinata
4947 St. Elmo Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301)656-1009: Comments: “Small Japanese food store specializing in sushi carry-out.”

Naniwa Foods: 6730 Curran St.; McLean, VA 22101; (703)893-7209; Comments: “Authentic Japanese food store with large selection of premium sake.”; “Naniwa, although the only truly Japanese store in the area, does not take credit cards (a dismaying fact I tend to forget when I go there).” -(renae)

Lucky World: 3109 Graham Road; Falls Church, VA; (703) 641-8585; Comments: “Large Asian Food Store with selection of Japanese goods.” -(anon)

Lotte Mart: 11190 Parklawn Drive; Rockville, MD; (301) 881-3355; also at; 3250 Old Lee Highway; Fairfax, VA; (703) 352-8989; Totally useless website; Lotte is a huge South Korean-Japanese conglomerate. They seem to have just the two stores in the U.S., though it’s hard to tell at all from their crappy website. They also operate fast food restaurants and manufacture snack foods. They also own a baseball team in Japan. Wikipedia entry.; Comments: “Large Asian Food Store with selection of Japanese goods.” -(anon)

Super H Mart: 10780 Fairfax Blvd. (Lee Hwy.); Fairfax, VA 22030; 800-427-9870; Part of the Han Ah Rheum/Super-H etc. chain - see Nationwide section above. Korean grocery with Japanese products.; “My favorite of all the stores I’ve found in Northern Virginia is Super H, which Lisa mentioned in her comment.” -(renae; originally recommended by Lisa)

Washington State/Oregon

99 Ranch Market: 22511 Highway 99; Edmonds, WA 98026; Tel: 425-670-1899; Hours: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM / 7 days; Also at:; 18230 E. Valley Highway #100; Kent, WA 98032; (425) 251-9099; Hours: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM / 7 days; Comments: “I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the 99 Ranch Market chain yet! There are two here in western Washington, one very near my house, just as large as Uwajimaya and cheaper!” -(Shannon)

Daiso: See top of page for general comments.; Alderwood Mall; 3000 184th Street SW, Suite 398; Lynnwood, WA 98037; Mon-Thu 10:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-19:00; Also at; COMMONS; Space #D-12,2013 S.Commons; Federal Way,WA 98003; Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-18:00; Also at; West Lake Center; 400 Pine St.Suite 1005; Seattle WA 98101; Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-18:00; Also at; Bellis Fair Mall; One Fair Parkway #618; Bellingham WA 98226; Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-18:00; Comments: “Daiso is a Japanese dollar store carrying some food items (snacks, candy, and other convenience foods) as well as a large variety of other Japanese products for $1.50 USD (up to $5 USD for some items). This is a great resource for Japanese cooking utensils, Bento boxes and accessories, and all kinds of other odds and ends.”-(Augustina)

Uwajimaya: 15555 NE 24th St. & Bel Red Rd.; Bellevue, WA 98007; Phone: (425)747-9012; Mon.-Sat. 9AM-10PM, Sunday 9AM-9PM; English and Japanese website; also at; 600 5th Avenue South; Seattle, WA 98104; Phone: (206) 624-6248; Mon.-Sat. 9AM-10PM, Sunday 9AM-9PM; also at; 10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale HWY; Beaverton, OR 97005; Phone: (503)643-4512; Mon.-Sat. 9AM-10PM, Sunday 9AM-9PM; Mailorder via Amazon.com; Comments: “The stores are pretty large and have good selections of just about anything you’d need to cook Japanese food. The Beaverton and Seattle locations also have a Kinokuniya bookstore. All the grocery stores have Japanese groceries, butcher and fishmonger. They also have all sorts of Asian foodstuffs, dishes, cutlery, appliances and toys.” -(tami); “Both stores carry a number of “international” goods, but they have a very Japanese focus. Prices are middle-of-the-line.” -(Dina)

Viet Wah: 1320 S. Jackson St; Seattle, WA 98104; Tel: 206-329-1399; English web site; Also at; 6040 Martin Luther King Jr. Way; Seattle, WA 98118; Tel: 206-760-8895; Also at; 2820 N.E. Sunset Blvd.; Renton, WA 98056; Tel: 425-336-6888; Comments: “Vietnamese grocery with Japanese products (food and rice cookers). Produce is always cheap, fresh, and plentiful.” -(Lillian)

U.S. only mailorder-only sites

The stores listed with web sites above will sometimes also have mail order services - check the individual listings.

In addition, the following companies are primarily (or solely) mail order places, who ship only within the U.S.:

Amazon.com - Groceries, Gourmet Food, kitchen equipment. JH Amazon astore with some of my recommendations (help support the site, at no extra cost to you!)
Ichibankan. The online version of a small 100-yen store chain in California.
KOAMart: Korean food, some Japanese food also.
Sugar Charms: Cake decorating supply store that also has a good selection of bento items. “I really like sugarcharms.com for interesting and moderately priced bento items.” -(Becki)

19 comments so far...

Natural food stores are better than Asian stores

We usually can get by with just going to the big natural food chains, which have enough Asian stuff, fresher than you get in the Asian food stores. For instance Central Market, Sprouts, Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. The stuff they don’t have you can usually make: for instance, gyoza skins are not that hard to make, and who wants to use month’s old packaged skins, or worse yet, old frozen gyoza?

Mark | 25 January, 2008 - 15:06

replying

Lisa, thanks for the link! I’ll link back to it and add more info here (especially for certain areas)

Mark, well not everyone has those stores near them. And they are limited to the U.S. Also, judging from what I saw last year at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in NYC, their selection is not that comprehensive - yet, and I’m not sure if they ever will be, since they have to cater to many different tastes. (You could make the same argument about any ‘ethnic’ cuisine…sure Whole Foods may stock a whole lot of say, Mexican ingredients, but…etc.) And frozen gyoza skins are really handy :) A good grocery store should not have old frozen prepared foods anyway (of if they do, they are to be avoided).

maki | 25 January, 2008 - 16:12

the only japanese food

the only japanese food products i find myself buying from natural food stores are low sodium wheat-free organic tamari and eden brand umeboshi, because none of the asian markets i’ve found in chicago (the city, not the suburbs) carry umeboshi without MSG and food coloring in it. er, well, i did find some low sodium umeboshi once, but it was really gross. also, seaweed is super expensive at healthfood stores—usually about three times the price of seaweed from an asian market.

army_kitten | 25 January, 2008 - 21:19

Not to knock WF but

I disagree with Mark also. The produce selection at Whole Foods just isn’t diverse enough. They don’t always carry Japanese sweet potatoes, and they only have a couple of sad-looking Japanese cucumbers and less than 10 baby bokchoys to choose from, whereas (maybe not all) Asian supermarkets would have a gigantic pile of them, along with 10 other kinds of Chinese greens, and a lot cheaper and fresher too. The American-made “miso” Whole Foods carries is also grainy and inferior.

Lillian | 30 January, 2008 - 04:47

North Carolina: Raleigh Area

Grand Asia Market
http://grandasiamarket.com/

1253 Buck Jones Road (South Hills Mall in Cary)
Raleigh, NC 27606

Not specifically Japanese, but a great selection of Asian foods, produce and crafts. Bigger than any Asian grocer I’ve been too — probably in the range of H-Mart and the like, but not a chain.

anon. | 1 February, 2008 - 17:31

Japanese store in Bossier City Louisiana

Fujiya Market

1318 Airline Dr,
Bossier City,
LA 71112-3002,
United States

(318) 747-7830

A little Japanese store with many many things, including serten Thai(for some reason) stables I couldn’t find at other stores such as lemon grass and kaffir lime leaf, the woman there is very helpful and fluent in English..

Joshua Rhodes | 22 February, 2008 - 05:33

Asian Market in Oklahoma

Nam Hai Oriental Food Market
918-438-0166
1924 S Garnett Rd
Tulsa, OK 74128

This market is HUGE and has just about anything you want. All things Asian. Live seafood, lots of produce, all kinds of dried foods, teas, oils, sauces, condiments, kitchen ware, clothes and even a rack full of fresh packed lunches if you get there around 11am. To my complete joy, they have also added a Mexican section. I’m going shopping there this weekend :)

Raven | 28 February, 2008 - 08:49

Asian grocery in Wisconsin

Oriental Shop
1029 S. Park St.
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 251-7991

Although its name is Oriental Shop, it almost exclusively sells Japanese products. It’s a small family-run store with a limited amount of fresh produce, but otherwise with a surprisingly wide variety of Japanese food items, along with a selection of tableware and cooking utensils. Sashimi grade fish is available every other Saturday.

Heidi | 29 April, 2008 - 00:21

more on Asian food shopping in Wisconsin

As mentioned above with some people from Michigan, a fair number of Wisconsinites looking for Japanese stuff go to the Mitsuwa in Illinois as well. :)

Here are a few more that I know of in Wisconsin:

The Garden Asian Market
6136 University Ave
Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 238-7889

This medium-sized store has a Chinese focus, but has a considerable amount of Japanese cooking staples and more common ingredients. I was also impressed with the selection of just about everything, especially tea and sweets. The produce quality here is rather hit-or-miss, but if what you came for is fresh, you’ll get quite a deal. They also have a meat counter and, strangely enough, a gas station.

Midway Asian Market
301 S Park St
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 255-5864

Midway is large and has items from all over East and Southeast Asia as well as some from Mexico. The quality is hit-or-miss with produce and some packaged goods, but I have never had a problem with any of the Japanese brand food products I have bought there. They also sell some kitchen appliances and dishes. The wide variety of products and low prices are the best things about this place. Payment must be in cash.

Oriental Food Mart
633 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 733-4680

This small family-run shop has mainly dry goods. It has mostly Chinese products, but has a fair amount of Korean and Japanese food items as well. It also sells some tableware and Chinese gift items. Prices are very reasonable.

Oriental Food Mart
1206 S. Park St.
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 255-0326

This place is rather small but easy to spot from the road by the sign in the window - Korean characters in red neon. Has a decent variety of dry goods and frozen items, as well as some prepared desserts.

Heidi | 29 April, 2008 - 01:28

I’m a linguistically

I’m a linguistically handicapped American, so these reviews aren’t as good as they could be…

Asian Midway Foods
301 Park St.
Madison WI

Midway (further north on Park St) sells some Japanese food items. There are several varieties of dried seaweed, but I haven’t managed to parse the labels yet. The ginger, limes, lemons and some seasonal fruit seem to be good. Other produce can be iffy. They sell short grain rice, but are a better supplier for jasmine rice. The store is relatively large and quite crowded, so if you do not read Chinese, Thai or Japanese you may have problems.

Oriental Food Mart
1206 Park St.
Madison WI

This is a Korean market and is a better supplier for short grain rice than either Midway or Oriental Market. They also stock a wider selection of udon noodles, gyoza and other prepared foods. They have both premade furikake and furikake ingredients (including several sorts of dried fish and dried shrimp). If you do not read Korean, some items may be mysterious, but it’s a bit friendlier for the language handicapped American than many stores. The produce is not something I’d touch, but the frozen food has good turnover.

Woodman’s is a local “American” chain, but their ethnic cuisine aisles are relatively useful, particularly for the timid English speaker. They stock a lot of Kikkoman products labeled in English that you don’t see in a typical American grocery store. Most ingredients seem to be for Cantonese cuisine rather than Japanese tho.

There is another “asian grocery” along Fish Hatchery Drive that I keep meaning to visit.

Emily | 2 July, 2008 - 22:36

Stores In Oregon

Fubonn Supermarket
www.fubonn.com

2850 SE 82nd Ave, Ste #1
Portland, OR 97266
(503) 517-8877

This place is really pretty big and also has several other cool stores in the building. It’s considered an Asian marketplace.They carry most anything you might want, however, I have a few major complaints about the place. I rarely buy anything there and find myself shopping at the local natural markets because it appears they import nothing but MSG filled products or other preservatives and artificial colors are in most of the products. I really wish that I could figure out why this is…

Jessica | 8 June, 2008 - 17:59

99 Ranch Market in Las Vegas

I’ve been to this store and probably won’t go back. The produce looked horrible, the worst I’ve seen anywhere! The smell of the store was overwhelming, and not in a good way, and almost all of the “fresh” fish was previously frozen…what a big disappointment!

There’s a very tiny Japanese store that I’ve tried, Nakata, and it’s clean and fresher smelling, but the selection is extremely small. Again, a disappointment because I couldn’t buy really fresh fish or the wonderful, freshly-made tofu I grew used to in Tokyo. They also didn’t have any of the pickled veggies I was craving. However, they do stock quite a few of my favorite shelf or non-perishable items.

Absolutely Tokyo | 8 June, 2008 - 18:52

Athens, Georgia

Fooks Foods a Specialty Produce & Asian Goods Market
1005 Baxter St
Athens, GA 30606
(706) 208-8839

This store was small but had a huge selection of every Japanese ingredient I could ask for. Fresh produce, miso, curries, powdered and prepared wasabi, 20 brands of rice at least, tiny dried fish, pretz, lots of other things. Even Ramune soda in a refrigerated section. The shop was very clean and nice, but the owner was VERY rude.

annie | 8 June, 2008 - 19:52

Provo/Orem, Utah

Many Lands Market
1145 N 500 W
Provo, UT 84604
(801) 375-3789

Chao’s Trading Co
77 N University Ave
Provo, UT 84601
(801) 377-8845

First Oriental Market
286 N State St
Orem, UT 84057
(801) 221-5949

All three are mainly Chinese/Korean, but they all a Japanese section with a good selection of Japanese items. Between the three of them I can find just about anything I need.

Thomas | 9 June, 2008 - 21:54

Houston, Tx

A new Korean/Asian grocery store chain called super HMart is now in Houston.

1302 Blalock Rd. 77055
713.465.8300
http://www.hmart.com

This store is wonderful. It is a korean superstore but most Japanese and Koreans use alot of the same type of ingridients. They have everything you can imagine. Im going this saturday to shop. Aside from their HUGE selection of Japanese ingridients, they also have a vast selection of mini cafes inside ( things such as sushi market, noodle house that has many soups like rice cake and fish cake not to mention their somen for the hot summer days now all ready to be purchased for eating). Everything in the store in extremely fresh including their seafood section. This market is also very reasonably priced. Another thing is that this store also sells appliances like rice cookers and fish grillers. This is great because it means we no longer have to purchase online for hard to find things like rice cookers and such. They have many well brands like zojirushi and panasonic. Im telling you this store has it all. Variety, Quality, Price. A great addition to the Houston Area. If you go to their website you receive 10$ off online purchase for those interested.

Matt | 13 June, 2008 - 00:13

Lafayette, Indiana

Hana Market

3457 Bethel Dr # A
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 463-7434
www.hanamarketinc.com

Korean and Japanese grocery store with some produce and lots of frozen items, including a large variety of seafood. Some Japanese items, and not much housewares. The Korean restaurant next door always smells wonderful.

anon. | 15 June, 2008 - 23:20

Austin, TX

Austin, TX- just a few I have been to, there are many more around town

Asahi Imports
6105 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 453-1850
Small shop, mainly groceries (including refrigerated and frozen) and dishes

MT Supermarket
10901 N. Lamar Blvd., Bldg G
Austin TX 78753
512-454-4804
http://www.mtsupermarket.com/

Very large pan-Asian grocery- Japanese items are on the “International Foods” aisle- a lot of fun to browse. Also has a ridiculous amount of frozen buns and dumplings.

Momoko
705 W 24th St # A
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 469-0232
http://www.momoko-gifts.com/

Mainly a cutesy gift shop, I think they have bento accessories, but I haven’t been in years.

Korean & Japanese Grocery & Gifts (aka K.S Oriental)
1729 E Riverside Dr # A
Austin, TX 78741
(512) 445-7458

The guy at the counter was very helpful when I was trying to find an obscure rice. The small place is crammed full of all kinds of wonderful things, lots of fun cheap stuff, too.

anon. | 30 June, 2008 - 00:07

Utah (Salt Lake CIty) Japanese Market

Japan-sage Market
1515 S Main St
Salt Lake City, UT 84115-5315
Phone: (801) 484-4122

A small shop located minutes (on foot!) from where I work. Reminds us of a small shop in Kyoto. Wide range of packaged and refrigerated/frozen items, confections. Wonderful Bentos. Even has a few Japanese publications and videos. Locally-owned — definitely deserves a visit.

mixr | 13 July, 2008 - 22:45

Mitsuwa Chicago

The Mitsuwa Marketplace in the Chicago suburbs has a few types of bento boxes - none of the older traditional styles, but they do have some “4-lock” style models and some simpler compartment boxes with clear, sealing lids. I also found a few extras like little food picks and plastic “grass” separators. Since it’s a full Japanese supermarket, food items are not a problem to find. They also have a lot of kitchen/cooking supplies, including rice cookers of all sizes and styles.

I recently bought from there an Asvel brand “4-lock” 950 ml bento box, with adjustable divider and chopsticks in a compartment in the lid. It also came with a “thermal pouch” to keep the box cool or warm, and a thick elastic band to wrap around the pouch once it has your bento box inside.

dvoskuil | 18 July, 2008 - 05:49