Japanese grocery store list

(Last updated 2/12/2013)

Looking for a shopping list to start your Japanese cooking adventures? Start here!

Bento fans should also check Where and how to buy bento boxes and equipment on our sister site, Just Bento.

A frequently heard lament: Help! I can't find [insert Japanese ingredient] at an Asian store!

A general Asian grocery store/supermarket is not the same as a Japanese grocery store. Most large general Asian stores are Chinese-focused (e.g. Paristore in France), or Korean-focused (e.g. H-Mart in the U.S.). This means that they only have limited shelf space for Japanese food. Yes, there is a difference between the cuisines!

For the best selection of Japanese groceries, go to the stores that are specified as being Japanese. (Two chains with supermarket-level stores are Mitsuwa and Marukai in the U.S. Seattle-area mini-chain Uwajimaya also has supermarket-sized stores.) Your second choice is Korean stores, who usually stock a large selection of Japanese foods. Chinese focused groceries generally only carry a small selection of Japanese food, and may even carry pretending-to-be-Japanese-but-really not food (such as snacks with odd Japanese on them). See this article about where to get Japanese foodstuffs for more.

This is a rapidly growing set of lists of Japanese grocery stores around the world. Ambitious yes, but with the help of Just Hungry readers, we hope to put together a definitive collection of lists. This is definitely a work in progress - please bookmark it and check back often. Note that Korean and Chinese groceries are also noted sometimes, since they often carry a lot of Japanese ingredients.

This is a list put together by you, the reader

We need your help! Tell us about your local Japanese grocery stores! in the comments! Please include the following information if possible - and please add the comment to the appropriate geographical region. Thank you!

The basic information needed is:

Name of store
Address
Phone number
Website if available
General comments about the size of store, selection, etc.

I've added an additional category for stores in Japan that visitors shouldn't miss - for selection, uniqueness, etc.

Additional comments, corrections etc. for already listed stores are always welcome.

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in the United States and territories

This list is sporadically updated but should be reasonably current.

Japanese food is getting more and more popular across the United States. Korean-oriented markets also carry a lot of Japanese food supplies. (Chinese markets do not necessarily carry Japanese food, though they may have some items.)

Note that Amazon Groceries carries several Japanese food products..

Below is a reader-contributed list of brick-and-mortar Japanese grocery stores and stores selling food-related items in the United States. Don't forget to look through the comments also! Note that California and the New York-New Jersey - Connecticut areas have their own pages.

Bento fans should also check Where and how to buy bento boxes and equipment on our sister site, Just Bento.

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: www.hmart.com; A rapidly expanding Korean supermarket chain with stores in NY, NJ, PA, CO, IL, MD, CA, WA, CA, DC; expanding to other states (TX, etc.).

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

There are several Japanese markets in Hawaii, and regular supermarkets and convenience stores like 7-11 and ABC Stores also stock some Japanese-ish snacks and so on.

(See Bento sightseeing in Hawaii)

Marukai Wholesale Mart: 2310 Kamehameha Highway; Honolulu, Hawaii 96819; Tel: (808) 845-5051; Also 2 other location (check website); 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)

Other stores - listings to be added: Shirokiya, Don Quijote,

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)

J Toguri: 851 W. Belmont; Chicago, IL; Tel: 773 929 3500; Comment: "I wanted to recommend a store in Chicago I haven’t seen listed on here. It’s pretty small and most of it is devoted to gift items and books, however there is a decent size section of Japanese foods. If you can’t make it out to Mitsuwa, and need a basic staple this may be a good choice."

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 (CLOSED): 1815 Mass Ave; Cambridge, MA 02140

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)

Missouri

Chong’s Oriental Market: 701 Locust St; Columbia, MO; Tel: (573) 443-1977; Comments: "It is a smallish store but they have a great variety of items… some fresh veggies, lots of canned items, refrigerated section, frozen section. People are very friendly. They have some cooking utensils too. I was able to pick up a Benriner mandolin slicer cheaper than I’d seen it online!"

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

Austin

Asahi Imports: Northwest Center; 6105 Burnet Road; Austin, TX 78757; Tel: 512-453-1850; Open Daily 10:00am - 7:00pm; Website; Facebook; "We've been specializing in Japanese food since 1967"

Dallas-Fort Worth area

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.

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 by Maki: Uwajimaya, or Uwaj' as it's affectionately called by locals, is a family run operation. Their flagship store in Downtown Seattle is about the size of a supermarket. It carries about 50%-60% Japanese food, plus Chinese, Korean and regular-American food (fresh produce, meat, etc). Very well stocked. Parking can be a bit of a pain on busy weekends, due to its popularity. A wonderful center of the Asian community. At the Downtown store, there is a small sit-down area to enjoy takeout style sushi and bentos, and a Kinokuniya bookstore attached. A Daiso is located right across the street. (Based on Jan. 2011 trip.)

Other 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.:

Bento fans should also check Where and how to buy bento boxes and equipment on our sister site, Just Bento.

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!)
Japan Super. Online Japanese grocery store. Ships within the 48 contiguous states. Their online catalog lists a wide variety of Japanese foods. Based 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)

Japanese grocery stores in California

General notes on California: Due to the large Asian-American population and sizeable expat communities, Japanese grocery stores are quite plentiful, especially in the Los Angeles area, but throughout the state generally, and there are even more Asian groceries.

Is your favorite store missing? Let us know about it in the comments! Once the information in a comment has been incorporated into the main article, the comment is deleted to avoid very very long page syndrome.

Statewide 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.

Marukai Market: Japanese and English web site; Japanese chain. Operates membership stores and non-membership stores throughout California, one in Hawaii. They also operate some 99 cent shops, and have a cooperation with Daiso, a leading 100 yen store chain in Japan. (You can pick up a lot of cheap bento supplies at 100 yen shops.); Comments: "There are large supermarkets in Torrance, Gardena, Glendale, and Covina. Membership is $10, but they’ll give you a one-month pass for $1, as many times as you want. Housewares, furniture, and cultural icons (tansu, kotatsu, hanten, etc) as well as food."

Mitsuwa Marketplace: Japanese and English web site; Japanese supermarket chain. Took over the former Yaohan Plaza locations when the Yaohan corporation went belly up. These are fairly large supermarkets (some larger than others), with a good selection of Japanese groceries, a food court, and attached mini-mall. There are seven Mitsuwa locations in Calfornia (two others are in the Chicago area and northern New Jersey). Besides groceries and prepared foods, sells housewares and more (selection varies by location).

Nijiya: Japanese and English web site; Japanese grocery chain with several stores in California (and one in New York). Groceries, prepared bentos and sushi to go, etc.

Vien Dong: English and Vietnamese web site; Vietnamese mini-chain with general Asian products.

Zion Market: Korean and English web site; Korean market with three stores in southern California.

Los Angeles/Orange County general area

Ebisu Supermarket: 18940 Brookhurst Street; Fountain Valley, CA 92708; (714) 962-2108; Under construction website; Comments: "nice market"-(anon)

Granada Market: 1820 Sawtelle Blvd; Los Angeles CA 90025; 310.479.0931

Mitsuwa Costa Mesa: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 665 Paularino Avenue; Costa Mesa, CA 92626; (714) 557-6699

Mitsuwa Little Tokyo: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 333 S. Alameda Street; Los Angeles, CA 90013; (213) 687-6699

Mitsua San Gabriel: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 515 W. Las Tunas Drive; San Gabriel, CA 91776; (626) 457-2899

Mitsuwa Santa Monica: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 3760 Centinela Avenue; Los Angeles, CA 90066; (310) 398-2113

Mitsuwa Torrance: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 21515 Western Avenue; Torrance, CA 90501; (310) 782-0335

Nijiya Market: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 2130 Sawtelle Blvd. #105; Los Angeles CA 90025; 310.575.3300; Comments: "Japanese American chain, mostly in California, but with one shop in New York state. Sawtelle shop: Small shop with wide range of standard goods, organic produce, fresh meats and fish, extensive bento selection (better than Mitsuwa up the street). Open until 11.45 pm!" - (santos); "In addition to the Sawtelle one that Santos mentioned, there’s one in Little Tokyo (not very big) and a much larger, nicer one on Grant Ave. in Mountain View (San Francisco Bay Area). " - (meg)

Safe and Save: 2030 Sawtelle Blvd; West Los Angeles CA 90025; 310.479.3810; Comments: "Small family-run market with all the basics, baked goods, snacks, produce, fresh meat and fish counter. Not as well stocked as the larger markets on the same street, but the prices are competitive, the staff is super-friendly, and the atmosphere is more relaxed and convivial. Free parking lot in the back." - (santos)

Sacramento area

Kims Market: Asian Food: 636 4th Street(Between F and E st.); Davis, CA 95616; (530)753-5916; Mon-Sat 10am-7pm; Sun 12:30pm-6pm; Comments: "A very tiny cramped store, but it has practically everything you need to stock your basic Japanese/Korean pantry. Most of the stuff sold is in the dry/frozen goods category, but they do stock some of the more unusual fresh veggies (yamaimo yams, negi, and daikon.)They also sell some imported snacks, appliances, and household supplies. Everything is on the slightly pricy side for an Asian store, but its the only place where you can find unusual food items that American markets rarely stock. A plus is that they also sell marinated short ribs, in-store made pickles, and fresh kimbap (korean sushi)." -(Ami)

San Diego area

General comments on San Diego area:

"[Marukai and Mitsuwa] are in the Kearny Mesa and Clairemont Mesa neighborhoods of San Diego. [Nijiya and Zion] are in Linda Vista and City Heights neighborhoods, respectively. My Filipino family has been shopping at all of these stores throughout the years and all of them offer an interesting variety of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino foods, among others." -(Lorena)

99 Ranch: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.; San Diego, CA 92111; Tel: (858) 974-8899; Comments: "This is a Chinese market, but they many Asian staples." -(Lorena)

dl>

Marukai Market

Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page

8151 Balboa Ave.

San Diego, CA 92111

Tel: 858-384-0240

Comments: "This is a non-membership store and is located in the same plaza as the recently opened Daiso store and Marukai Living store. This is the newest Japanese market in San Diego, having opened in January 2008." -(Lorena)

Mitsuwa Marketplace San Diego: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 4240 Kearny Mesa Road; San Diego, CA 92111; (858) 569-6699; Comments: "This location also has a dishware store, bentos-to-go, cafe, bookstore, and “cute” shop." -(Lorena)

Nijiya Market: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 3860 Convoy St., #109; San Diego, CA 92111; Phone: (858) 268-3821; Hours: Mon ~ Sun 9:00am- 10:00pm; Comments: "This is a San Diego-based chain and specializes in organic and Japanese food." -(Lorena)

Zion Market: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 4611 Mercury St.; San Diego, CA 92111; Tel:1-858-268-3300; Comments: "This is a Korean market, but they have many Asian staples." -(Lorena)

Vien Dong: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 6935 Linda Vista Rd.; San Diego, CA 92111; Tel: (858)292-7176; Also at; 5382 University Ave; San Diego, CA 92105; Tel: (619) 583-3838; Comments: "This is a Vietnamese market, but they have many Asian staples." -(Lorena)

San Franciso Bay/San Jose/San Mateo area

Also check out Biggie's San Francisco Bay Area shopping guide for bento things, on Lunch In A Box.

Benkyodo: 747 Buchanan Street (Japan Town); San Francisco, CA 94115; Tel: (415) 922-1244; English web site; Japanese confections shop selling manjuu and mochi. In operation since 1906.; Comments: "If visiting SF’s Japan Town, don’t miss [this shop]" -(Greg Wittel)

Ichiban Kan: 98 E. 3rd Avenue; San Mateo, CA 94401; Tel. (650) 347-1347; Mailorder site (continental USA shipping only - boo), blog; Modelled after a 100 yen shop in Japan. Sells bento supplies, cheap and interesting kitchenware, accessories, toys, and all kinds of things. A '99 cent shop' with a difference. Considered to be a mecca for bento fans. Mailorder store set to open in April.; Also a store in San Francisco in the Japantown mall (see below)

Imahara Produce: 19725 Stevens Creek Blvd; Cupertino, CA 95014; Comments: "Family run. Excellent produce (and cheap!) — nice selection of both Japanese and non-Asian produce. Has the usual variety of foodstuffs and snacks. Some fresh fish but the main thing is the produce. Oh, and they sell locally made tofu by the San Jose Tofu company. Probably the best tofu you can get in the Bay Area." -(Greg Wittel)

Japantown shopping mall complex: Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115; English web site; A small shopping mall and tourist attraction, with mostly Japanese stores, located within the tiny Japan Town (Nihonmachi) area in San Francisco. (There's a connected building which has mostly Korean stores.) The last time I was here (2005) I found it a little bit disappointing - it's really a shadow of what it must have been once. It looked a bit run down. (If they've renovated since then, let me know!) Still, it has a decent selection of stores, restaurants, plus a Kinokuniya bookstore and gift shop. (maki); Within Japantown:
Ichiban Kan Japantown: 1625 Post St, Miyako Mall 22 Peace Plz, Ste 540; San Francisco, CA 94115; Tel: (415) 409-0472; Mailorder site (continental USA shipping only), blog; Modelled after a 100 yen shop in Japan. Sells bento supplies, cheap and interesting kitchen ware, etc.

Marukai Market Cupertino: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; Comments: "Coming soon to Cupertino. It will be in the shopping center across the street from Imhara’s." -(Greg Wittel)

Mitsuwa Marketplace San Jose: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 675 Saratoga Avenue; San Jose, CA 95129; (408) 255-6699; Comments: "Good for food; large but weak selection of housewares" -(anon); "The Kinokuniya moved out of the store into a building in the same parking lot. The store is larger and carries a few character bento boxes. -(Sandy Wambold)"

Nijiya Mountain View: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 143 E. El Camino Real; Mountain View, CA 94040; Tel: (650) 691-1600

Nijiya San Francisco: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 1737 Post St. (Japan Town); San Francisco, CA 94115; Tel: (415) 563-1901

dl>

Nijiya San Mateo

Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page

1956 S. El Camino Real

San Mateo, CA 94403

Tel: (650) 212-7398

Nijiya San Jose: Part of a statewide chain. See general listing at top of page; 240 Jackson St.; San Jose, CA 95112; Tel- (408) 275-6916

Santo Market: 245 Taylor Street; San Jose, CA 95112; Comments: "A tiny family run market that’s been around for over 50 years." -(Linda Y)

Super Mira: 1790 Sutter St; San Francisco, CA 94115; Comments: "Has a great little bakery." -(Linda Y)

Suruki Supermarket: 71 E 4th Ave; San Mateo, CA 94401; Comments: "A busy market on a busy corner of San Mateo. Has a pretty decent deli section (1/2 off after 6 PM), and a great fish counter. Kaz Grill next door is pretty good, and Ichiban Kan is a block away." -(Linda Y)

Takahashi Market: 221 South Claremont St.; San Mateo, CA 94401; Comments: "This was the only Japanese market around for many years. Now, it has mostly Hawaiian goods, but still has quite a bit of older Japanese brands. Great plate lunches, and very nice staff." -(Linda Y)

Tokyo Fish market: 1220 San Pablo Avenue; Albany, CA 94709; Tel. 510.524.7243; Comments: "I’ve been going here since I was a wee one. They originally opened in the 60’s in a tiny storefront and they expanded into a regular size supermarket. Their old location, on the same lot, is a non-food Japanese product store, lots of bamboo kitchenware and typical teapot and cup sets. Tokyo Fish has loads of grocery items, as well as a fresh fish counter and pre-made deli foods. They have an excellent selection of Japanese beer, sake and various ramen brands for noodle freaks like me. Alas, no web site, so no on-line ordering, but it’s more fun to actually go in person anyway if you’re local. Check ‘em out!" -(Maryb)

Uoki Sakai: 656 Post Street; San Francisco, CA 94115; Comments: "Excellent fish section." -(Linda Y)

(Last updated April 8, 2008)

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in the New York - New Jersey - Connecticut area

(Updated January 2011)

This page lists stores in New York, North New Jersey and Connecticut - the NYC Tristate area, plus upstate New York. South NJ area stores are listed on the main USA page.

General New York area notes: The Japanese-American population of the area is quite small, but there is a fair sized expat commmunity. The main areas where they live are in some suburbs of Westchester and Northen New Jersey, in lower Manhattan around the East Village, and near Columbia University. (There used to be a fairly big expat community in Queens around Flushing, but no longer.)

I've also included some bakeries and takeout places (since this is New York after all) and bookstores.

Also see this post which reviews some NYC area groceries.

Note: The stores that I (Maki) have personally visited and recommend are bolded.

Is your favorite grocery store missing? Leave the details in the comments! (Once the info in a comment is incorporated into the main article, the comment will be deleted.)

Statewide chains

Banzai 99 Cent Store: English web site; A general Asian (oriented towards Chinese products) dollar store modelled after 100 yen shops in Japan. Several stores around the state, mostly at the moment in Queens.

Beard Papa: English web site; Actually nationwide at this point. A Japanese cream puff (shuu kureemu) chain. 4 2 locations in the NYC area.

H Mart

English/Korean web site

H Mart is a Korean supermarket chain. There are several branches of this nationwide Korean grocery store in the New York-New Jersey area. Listings on their web site.

Comments about H Mart: Their stock is about 60% Korean food, 20% general groceries, 20% other Asian including Japanese food. Note that a lot of Japanese ingredients and such are used in Korean cooking, so you can pick up stuff like Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin, miso, etc. at H Mart. When I'm visiting my father who lives on Long Island, I go to the H Mart in Williston Park quite a bit. Their fresh produce area has things like gobo (burdock root) and things that are hard to come by at regular supermarkets and greengrocer's. Their meat section is really good. I kind of wish their frozen food and fresh fish sections didn't smell so 'off' though.

New York City

Brooklyn

(I don't really hear about Japanese groceries in Brooklyn, and I don't make it to Brooklyn much when I'm in the NYC area. Anyone?)

Bronx

No Japanese stores in the Bronx that I know of. Try Manhattan or Westchester.

Manhattan

Manhattan eating tip: Japanese restaurants abound in the Midtown area around 41st street up to about 55th Street, in all price ranges. Look for the lunch specials aimed lure in the Japanese businessmen who work in the area. There is also a fairly concentrated Japanese expat population (mostly students and other young people) around Columbia University and the East Village. You'll find Japanese bookstores and hair salons and the like besides grocery stores and restaurants.

Asia Market Corporation: 71 1／2 Mulberry St. (bet. Canal & Bayard Sts., Chinatown); Tel: 212-962-2028／2020; 8:00am〜7:00pm (Mon - Sat), 8:15am〜7:00pm (Sun); General Asian (Chinese focus) grocery store.

Beard Papa: Astor Place (NYU/East Village) - closed?; 740 Broadway; New York, NY 10003; (212) 353-8888; Also at; 2167 Broadway (Upper West Side); New York, NY 10024; (212) 799-3770; Also at; 5 Carmine St. (West Village) - closed?; New York, NY 10014; (212) 255-4675; Beard Papa sells Japanese-style cream puffs. I am not a big fan (don't like that fried-pastry layer over the choux pastry) but many people love them. Check their website for current locations. (maki)

Book Off: 49 W 45th NY Store (Midtown West); New York, NY 10036; 10:00 - 20:00 7 days; Tel. 212-685-1410; Web site; New York branch of a Japanese used bookstore chain. Book bargains abound here, though the selection varies.

Cafe Zaiya: 18 E 41st St (bet. 5th and 6th Aves. Midtown East); New York, NY 10003; Tel: (212) 779-0600; Also at; 69 Cooper Square (bet. St. Marks Pl & 7th St., East Village); New York, NY 10079; Tel. 212-253-9700; Also a branch at Kinokuniya off Bryant Park (see below); A Japanese-style bread bakery and cafeteria and takeout place with a mainly Japanese menu of fare. Get your Melon pan, curry pan and other Japanese baked goodies here. Midtown location is larger, and also has Beard Papa cream puffs. But East Village location has items not available at the midtown store. (maki)

Chez Noah: 600 Washington St. (at Leroy St., Meatpacking district); Tel: 212-675-2649; 8:00am〜8:00pm (Mon - Sat); English web site; The web site makes it looks like just another multi-cultural boutique-style food store (a la Dean & DeLuca) but it is listed on a Japanese page as being a Japanese grocery. Maybe worth a look if you're in the neighborhood.

JAS Mart: 35 St. Marks Pl. (bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves., East Village); New York, NY 10003; Tel: 212-420-6370; 11:00am〜11:00pm (Sun - Thu), 11:00am〜12:00am (Fri and Sat); Japanese-style coffee shop upstairs, grocery downstairs.; Other branches are closed as of Oct. 2009.; Mini-chain of grocery stores around Manhattan. The grocery part is a fairly typical small Japanese grocery. UWS store was very friendly when I visited back in 2006 - it didn't have a coffee shop. See my review here (maki)

Katagiri

224 E. 59th St. (bet. 2nd and 3rd Aves., Midtown East)

New York, NY

Tel: 212-755-3566

10:00am〜8:00pm (7 Days) (groceries part); 10:00am〜7:00pm (7 Days) (housewares part)

English and Japanese website

The oldest Japanese grocery store in New York - in business since 1939. Has fresh and packaged foods, housewares, takeout bentos, etc. The place where a Japanese food novice is most likely to get friendly help from Japanese shoppers in NY. Website says they ship worldwide (maki).

Kinokuniya Bookstore New York

1073 Avenue of the Americas (next to Bryant Park)

New York, NY 10018

212-869-1700, 212-869-1703

New location for Kinokuniya. Has a Cafe Zaiya inside (upstairs). Besides books, stocks giftwares, craft items, kitchen things and the like. A must-stop if you are a Japanophile and can't get to Tokyo (maki). Their bento box selection has been increased several times over compared to just a few years ago (as of 2011).

Korin: 57 Warren Street; New York, NY 10007; 800-626-2172 / 212-587-7021; Hours: 10am-6pm Monday through Saturday; www.korin.com; Showroom and store for a restaurant supply company. Restaurant-quality tableware and knives. If you buy a Korin brand knife here you can get them sharpened here. Also does mail order; ships internationally. Note that the bento boxes they carry are restaurant-type ones suitable as tableware, not lightweight portables.

M2M／M2M: 55 3rd Ave. (bet. 10th and 11th Sts.); Tel: 212-353-2698; 8:00am〜12:00am (7 Days; Korean grocery store with a lot of Japanese products. If you're in the area you might as well hit JAS Mart, Sunrise and here (maki).

Oms/b: 56 E 45th St (between Lexington and Third Aves., Midtown East); Tel: 212-922-9788; Mon–Fri 8am–7:30pm; Sat 11:30am–5pm; English web site; A tiny onigiri (omusubi) takeout place, with about 4 tables should you want to eat there (maki).

Sunrise Mart

494 Broome Street (SoHo)

New York, NY 10012

(212) 219-0033

also at

29 3rd Ave - 2nd floor (East Village)

(between 10th St & 2nd Ave)

New York, NY 10003

(212) 598-3040

See my review here (maki)

Comments: "Both have a good selection of food stuff (vegetables, frozen foods, staples, fish), kitchen ware, cosmetics, etc. All Japanese goods. The Bro ome Street location has a fresh hot food counter as well and more selection of lunch goods." - (Clarice) A bit scruffy sometimes, but well stocked and a must-stop for Japanese people and Japanophiles if you are in the area (maki).

Tongin Market: 91 Mulberry St. (bet. Walker & Bayard Sts., Civic Center area); Tel: 212-962-6622; 9:00am〜8:00pm (7 Days); Chinese/general Asian grocieries, gifts and sundries, medicines; takeout sushi; Comments: "A nifty place to shop for packaged and frozen foods, as well as some Japanese dishware and candy." -(Ami) (See also Ami's review here)

Yagura: 24 E. 41st St. (bet. Madison & 5th Aves., Midtown East); Tel: 212-679-3777; 11:00am〜8:00pm (Mon - Sun); Hole in the wall restaurant with takeout bentos, onigiri, and such, plus a small grocery store.

Queens

Family Mart: 29-15 Broadway, Astoria (Queens); Tel: 718-956-7925; 10:00am- 1:00am (7 Days); General Asian store. Fresh and packaged foods, some housewares, video rentals

Long Island

Nara Japanese Foods (actually formally Shin Nara Japanese Foods but everyone calls it Nara)

169A Main St.

Port Washington, NY (Nassau County, North Shore)

Tel: 516-883-1836

10:00am〜7:00pm (Sun, Tue - Fri), 9:00am〜7:00pm (Sat)

Small but well stocked Japanese grocery store. The store is cramped but impeccable. Food including fresh fish and meat, fresh vegetables, housewares, video rentals. Friendly lady runs the place.(maki)

This was where I used to shop when my family lived on Long Island. I was here last in February 2012, and they're still going strong! (maki).

Shin Nippon-Do Corp

63 Mineola Ave.

Roslyn Heights, NY (Nassau County, North Shore)

Tel: 516-625-1814

Japanese web site

Tue-Sun 10:00 - 19:00 or 18:30, depending on the time of year

Another small yet well stocked Japanese grocery store. A bit bigger and a bit better selection than Nara. Has things like kasuzuke (fish marinated in sakekasu or sake lees), koji for making amazake, and more. Checked out in Jan. 2011. In Nassau County this is the best Japanese grocery shopping option you have I think. (maki).

Note: This store is now part of the Fuji Mart group.

Westchester/Rockland Counties

Fujimart: 816 White Plains Rd. Scarsdale NY 10583; Tel: (914)472-1468; Fax: (914)472-1459; Japanese web site; Tue-Sun 10:00 - 19:00 or 18:30, depending on the time of year; Small yet comprehensive Japanese grocery store. Mini-chain of three stores (in Scarsdale, NY, Greenwich, CT and Shin Nippondo in Roslyn Heights, Long Island.)

Kinokuniya Bookstore: 3360 Palisades Center Dr (inside the Palisades Center mall); Third level (floor plan); West Nyack,NY 10994; Tel 845）353-6600 Fax: 845）353-0407

Nijiya Hartsdale: 18 North Central Ave.; Hartsdale, NY 10530; (914) 949-2178; Mon - Sun 10:00am- 7:00pm; English/Japanese website; Part of chain of Japanese grocery stores mostly in California.

Nippan Daido, Inc: 522 Mamaroneck Avenue; White Plains, NY 10605; Tel: 914-683-6735 Fax: 914-683-6737; English and Japanese web site; Japanese mini-chain with stores in White Plains NY and Houston TX. Food, housewares, kitchen appliances, video rentals. White Plains store also carries alcohol. Daido is an old store that has moved around a bit over the years (they used to have a store in Flushing, Queens, once a major Japanese enclave. Their Fort Lee, NJ store has also closed.)

Connecticut

Fujimart: 1212 Putnum Ave. Old Greenwich CT 06878; Tel: (203)698-2107; Fax: (203)698-2105; Japanese web site; Tue-Sun 10:00 - 19:00 or 18:30, depending on the time of year; Small yet comprehensive Japanese grocery store.

Northern New Jersey

Mitsuwa New Jersey

595 River Road

Edgewater, NJ 07020

Tel: (201) 941-9113; Fax: (201) 941-5437

E-mail: newjersey [at] mitsuwa [dot] com

English website; Japanese website

Mitsuwa in Edgewater NJ is about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic, from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. The fare is $3 per adult, less for kids. Shuttle bus schedule from Feb. 1 2008. Large supermarket, mostly Japanese products, small regular American products section. Indoor side mall (food stalls, cafeteria style restaurant) plus outdoor side mall.
In the side mall: Sanseido bookstore is smaller than Kinokuniya but well stocked, has loyalty program (buy $200 worth of stuff, get stamps on card, get gift certificate). Utsuwaya tableware and gift store and Mars NY toy, housewares and gift store are connected (not sure if they are related or if it's just a convenience thing). If you are looking for bento boxes, Mars has a limited selection of the cute/kawaii kind. Utsuwaya only has restaurant-type or shokado bento boxes. There is also a Japanese run beauty salon.

My review from 2006.

"Over 2 hours from Philadelphia, so it’s not really close, but my parents and I will often make the excursion to this Mitsuwa because of its wide selection of goods." - (yoko)

Nippan Daido, Inc: Fort Lee store is no longer, but the White Plains, NY store remains. (See above.)

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in Canada

General Canada notes: Vancouver has a large Asian population.

T & T Supermarket is a nationwide Chinese/Asian supermarket chain.

Alberta

T & T Supermarket: Chinese and English web site; See store locations and hours for Alberta stores here.

British Columbia (Vancouver, Victoria, etc.)

Fujiya Japanese Foods: 912 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC (604) 251-3711; 112 1050 W. Pender St., Vancouver, BC; Tel: 604.608.1050; English web site; Also at; 113-3086 St. Edwards Dr.; Richmond, BC; Tel: 604.270.3715; Also at; 3624 Shelbourne Street; Victoria, BC; Tel: 250.598.3711; They say they deliver orders over $100 for free in the downtown core, and for a fee elsewhere. However you have to call them to order: 1.877.8.FUJIYA (385492); Comments: "I can’t personally vouch for the Richmond and Victoria locations, but the Vancouver locations always have what I’m looking for and more. Many of our grocery stores have Asian sections but the products are always more reasonably priced at Fujiya than anywhere else. Besides packaged products, they have a fresh fish section and a counter making sushi which is extremely fresh and cheap. (Because we’re on the coast?) I was a little reluctant to give out the downtown location address because it is my favourite place for take-out sushi (not that I eat it every day) but it is super busy every lunch hour. They get twice daily deliveries from the main store of freshly made sushi and the line-up is out the door every day starting around 11:30 and doesn’t thin out until after 1PM. Crazy! -(julie); "Lots of Japanese groceries that are hard to find anywhere else. Here’s the website" -(Maria)

Komatsu Japanese Market: 140-1855 Kirschner Road; Kelowna BC Canada V1Y 4N7; Tel: 250 862-9338; Comments: "A small Japanese grocery store, Komatsu has many basic Japanese ingredients and has a freezer section with specialty ingredients such as thinly sliced beef, fish, gyoza, and daifuku. There are no fresh vegetable/fruit items, but they do have pickled daikon, sushi ginger, miso paste, konnyaku noodles, and other fridge items. They also have a sushi kitchen in the back; the store has some pre-made sushi meals in their fridge unit or you can order sushi made for you fresh. They also have some older manga and video tapes all in Japanese only. Prices are relatively good, slightly on the higher side." -(Nat)

Oriental Supermarket: 2575 HWY 97 N; KELOWNA, BC. V1X-4J5; Tel: 250-762-2395; Annoying Flash-only auto-music-playing web site in English; Mon-Sat: 9:30am-6:00pm Sun: 10:30am-5:00am; Comments: "Recently moved and renovated, the Oriental Supermarket has tons of ethnic food items! Mexican, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese. Large freezer section, a good sized fresh grocery department, lots of dry goods and a sushi bar that makes the only good bubble tea available in Kelowna (that I know of). I blew over $60 the first time I visited the store after their renovations. One warning, however-ALWAYS check the expiration date on food products from this store-I have, on more than one occasion, unpacked my goods at home only to realize that I have to throw one or two things away. Prices at this store are considerably lower than Komatsu, but the products are most likely not as fresh, so keep a sharp eye." -(Nat)

T & T Supermarket: Chinese and English web site; See store locations and hours for B.C. stores here.

Ontario

Korean Food Market: 16 Parkdale Avenue North; Hamilton, Ontario; Tel: (905) 312-8989; Comments: "they offer a very large number of Japanese items." -(Valerie)

Toronto area

PAT Spring Garden Market: 63 Spring Garden Av (off Yonge St, just North of Sheppard Av); North York, ON M2N 3G1; Tel 416-226-5522; Comments: "Korean market with a good selection of sushi fixings" -(ghamina)

Galleria Supermarket: 7171 Yonge St (North of Steeles Av); Thornhill, ON L3T 2A9; Tel 905-771-1474; English and Korean web site; Comments: "Another Korean market with a good selection of sushi fixings, including sashimi" -(ghamina)

MITS Toronto: 585 Yonge St; Toronto, ON; Tel: (416) 962-4860, Fax: (416) 962-4868; Japanese web site; Groceries, manga, video rentals, used Japanese books, manga _kissa_ (a cafe where you can sit and read manga...) with wireless intenet, package delivery service center for sending stuff to Japan via Kuroneko Yamato

Sanko Japanese Foods and Gifts: 730 Queen Street West; Toronto, Ontario; Tel 416-703-4550; Mon, Wed-Sat 10:00am - 7:00pm, Sun 11:00am - 6:00pm, closed Tue; English and Japanese web site; Comments: "Great little store. They sell tea sets, rice cookers, dried foods, frozen foods, fresh foods. Lots of variety. It’s in a very busy area. There is street parking, but there are also two or three spaces especially for the store." -(kelly)

T & T Supermarket: Chinese and English web site; See store locations and hours for Ontario stores here.

Toronto also has a Japantown (J-Town) mall.

Newfoundland

Asian Variety Store: 159 Water Street, St. John’s, Newfoundland; Tel: 709-726-1698; Comments: "Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indonesia items, food as well as a small selection of decorative items and fresh sushi on certain days." -(Izumi)

Nova Scotia

Heiwa Oriental Market: 7018 Chebucto Road; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Tel: 902-455-8383; Comments: "Primarily Korean, with some Japanese food, too." -(anon)

Québec

Montreal area

Ja Mae: 2116 Boulevard Décarie; Montreal, Quebec; Tel: 514-489-9777; Comments: "Korean, with many Japanese products" -(anon)

Miyamoto: 382 Victoria; Montreal, Quebec; Tel 514-481-1952; English and French web site

Is your favorite store not listed? Let us know the details in the comments! (When the information from a comment is incporated into the main article the comment is deleted, to keep things neat and all.)

(Last updated on Feb. 9 2008)

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in Central/South America/Caribbean

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Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in Europe

So far we have listings for Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

General notes on Europe: Japanese expat populations are the largest in London, Paris, and the business centers of Germany, especially Düsseldorf.

Let us know about your favorite stores, or comment on the ones already listed! (When the information in a comment is incorporated into the main article, the comment is deleted to avoid huuuge page syndrome.)

Belgium

Tagawa Superstore: Chaussée de Vleurgat 119; 1050 Brussels; Recommended by Cacahuete

Denmark

Sanchie: Fiolstræde 32; DK-1171 Copenhagen; Danish web page; Japanese grocery

Den Kinesiske Købmand: Nørre Voldgade 54; DK-1358 Copenhagen K; Danish web site; Japanese grocery

France

See the France page.

Greece

Also see the Greece-Japan.com site. (In Greek and Japanese mostly.)

Soya Athens: Apollonos 33-35 Plaka; 10556 Athens; email: info [at] soyaathens.gr; English, Japanese, Greek web site; Google Maps; Food, gift items, tableware, etc.

Germany

See the Germany page.

Netherlands

Japans & Koreaanse Delicatessen Shilla: Gelderlandplein 32-34; 1082 LB Amsterdam; Tel:+31 20-6428423 Fax:+31 20-4422361; Comments: "My choice. What the name suggests. Stocks frozen, packaged and a limited variety of fresh products. Also has a small prepared food section. Friendly folks. Their website is not operational, however, here one can view an ipx and opening times" : link -(Basak)

Takuhai: Dutch, English and Japanese web site; Online only shop ("Takuhai" means "home delivery"). Delivers in the Netherlands and to other countries - contact them and ask if they will deliver to your location. Payment is by bank transfer only.; Comments: "I’ve ordered from them several times and haven’t had a problem." -(anon)

Yama Food: In the Shopping Arcade of Hotel Okura; Hotel Okura Amsterdam; Ferdinand Bolstraat 333; 1072 LH Amsterdam; Dutch web site; Comments: "It is a very small shop; a bit difficult to navigate. Also pricier. Very helpful owner,though. They claim to stock over 1000 products imported by them." -(Basak)

Norway

Japantorget [CLOSED]: Arbos gate 2; 0368 Oslo

OBENTO: Bernt Ankersgate 4; 0183 Oslo; Tel: +47 22 60 40 54; Facebook page (Norwegian); Comments: This is a new store run by the same people who operated Japantorget. It seems to be a readymade bento takeout/readymade food store (with both Japanese and Thai foods) with a small grocery section. Some photos on a Japanese blog here. (maki)

Portugal

General notes on Portugal: Intermarché, a French supermarket chain, has a growing Asian food section -(Ana)

Misato-Ya: R. Navegantes, n.º 368-A; 2750-444 Cascais (área da Grande Lisboa); Tel.: 214 849 450/4 Fax: 214 849 459; E-Mail: yasuragi [at] mail [dot] telepac [dot] pt; Comments: "All products have a portuguese translation, which is nice because even in supermarkets you don’t have a translation on some products." -(Ana)

Slovakia

Seoul Plaza Slovakia: BAJKALSKA 5/C; BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA; 02 4437 3900; Submitted by Alice

Spain

General Spain notes: There seems to be a growing Japanese expat community in Spain, especially of retirees.

If you read Japanese there is a terrific forum for Japanese expats living in Spain, here. (スペイン探偵局)

There is a Japonica rice that is grown in Spain, called "Minori", produced by Okura Y Asociados Products, S.A. Web site. (But it has no contact info! Geez.)

Barcelona

Tokyo-ya: Calle. Comte Borrell, 334-336; 　08029 Barcelona; Tel: 93 439 30 40　　　Fax: 93 419 9539; Mon-Sat 10:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00. closed Sundays and holidays.; Bus: Pl. Francesc Macia, 6,7,15,27,32,33,34,41,59,63,66,67,68.; Japanese website, Spanish website; The site says it has fresh and frozen foods, folk art, housewares, sushi, onigiri and prepared foods. They will deliver.

Madrid

Tokyo-ya: Avda. Presidente Carmona, 9; 28020 Madrid; Tel: 91 579 23 11　　　Fax: 91 570 7174; Mon-Sat 10:00-14:00, 16:00-20:00. closed Sundays and holidays.; Metro: Line 1 ESTRECHIO, Line 10 SANTIAGO BERNABEU; Also at; Calle. Jorge Juan, 75; 28001 Madrid; TEL: 91 575 0556; Mon-Sat 10:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00. closed Sundays and holidays.; Metro: 2 and 4 lines to GOYA; Japanese website, Spanish website; The site says it has fresh and frozen foods, folk art, housewares, sushi, onigiri and prepared foods. They will deliver.

Sweden

Sun Ai: Tegnérgatan 15; 11140 Stockholm; Japanese and Swedish web site; Groceries, housewares, books, sundries (including Hello Kitty stuff). Will deliver to Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Japan Food & Kitchen (JFK): Swedenborgsgatan 28; 11827 Stockholm; Japanese, Swedish, English web site; Food, kitchen appliances, etc. Sells restaurant supplies too (like a sushi robot).

Switzerland

General Switzerland notes: The biggest Japanese expat community is in Geneva. You can also increasingly buy some Japanese ingredients at the department stores (esp. Globus). Migros and Coop both carry a few Japanese/Asian (mostly Thai) products.

In the last 5-6 years, there has been an explosion (well in Swiss terms) of "Asian" restaurants in the major cities. Quality and authenticity varies. Most serve some form of sushi.

This page on the Laughing Lemon site (they offer highly regarded cooking classes in English and German, as well as catering) lists what's in season in Switzerland. See this page for dates and times of the markets in the major Swiss cities.

Basel

Wasabi: Gueterstrasse 138 (near the south entrance to the Basel Hbf); 4053 Basel; 061 363 00 00; German web site; Bento lunch takeout, sushi catering. Not a grocery store. (Note: Closed? Web site is still up though, so maybe call before going.)

Genève (Geneva) and Lausanne

Alimentation Japonaise Miyai (CLOSED): 45,Rue de Zurich; 1201 Genève; Tel 022-731-4862　Fax 022-731-6781; French and Japaneseweb site; Besides groceries, has bento and sushi that can be pre-ordered.

Mikado: Rue de l'Ancien Port-9; 1201 Genève; Tel. 022 732 47 74, Fax 022 738 87 97; Tue-Fri 09:00 - 18:30, Sat 09:00 - 18:00, closed Sunday and Monday; Email: info at mikado-food dot ch; French, Japanese and Korean web site; In recent years, Mikado seems to be concentrating more on the restaurant/catering side of things. Selection of groceries is a bit limited, though adequate for basic needs. Takeout sushi etc. are not bad. Delivers anywhere within Switzerland. (maki)

Uchitomi: Rue Ferrier 13-15; 1202 Genève; Tel: 022 731 26 01 Fax: 022 738 52 16; geneve at uchitomi dot ch; Mon - Fri 9:00 - 18:30, Sat 09:00 - 17:00, closed Sun (no sushi or comestibles on Mon); French web site; also at; Ruelle Grand-Saint-Jean 5; 1003 Lausanne; Tel. 021 312 40 01 Fax 021 312 40 02; Email lausanne at uchitomi dot ch; Mon - Fri 10:00 - 19:00, Sat 09:00 - 17:00, closed Monday and Sunday; A review here.

Also see moshi moshi, a site that lists Japanese restaurants in the Genève area in a tiny, tiny font.

Zürich

General Zürich notes: There are quite a few Thai grocery stores. Migros City's fish department is pretty good for fresh fish. Increasingly, the morning markets are carrying Asian vegetables - in particular the Helvetiaplatz market and the Bürkliplatz market. At the latter, I've spotted things like shiso plants and fresh yuzu!

Aggarwal Indian Food: Langstrasse 62; 8004 Zurich; (right near Helvetiaplatz); Also stores in Basel, Bern, Langenthal; Tel: 044 241 28 79; Fax: 044 241 93 67; Monday - Friday 8 am to 8 pm, Saturday 8 am to 4 pm; German, French and English web site; An Indian/South Asian store, but has many produce items that are used in Japanese cooking like taro roots, okra, bitter gourd, etc. and a few Japanese ingredients like miso.

Lian Hua Asiatische Lebensmittel: Birmensdorferstrasse 94; 8003 Zürich; (Tram lines 9 and 14, several buses, or any S-Bahn that stops at Bahnhof Wiedikon); also at; Schaffhauserstrasse 269; 8057 Zürich; (Tram lines 10 and 14 to Berninaplatz).; This is mainly a Chinese store but has Thai, Korean and a small amount of Japanese items too. Fresh vegetables used in Asian cooking are available here like garlic chives (nira), winter melon, gourd, lotus root, etc. 15% off all food items on Saturdays. A wordier review. (maki)

New Asia Market: Feldstrasse 24; Tel. 044 241 80 00; Trams 2, 3 or Bus 32 to Kalkbreite; General Asian store; not many Japanese ingredients but still useful. Has a few things Lian Hua doesn't. (maki)

Nishi's Japan Shop: Schaffhauserstr. 120; 8057 Zürich (Tram lines 7 and 14, stop Guggachstrasse, or lines 7, 9, 10, 14 stop Milchbuch); Tel. 044 363 11 63, Fax 044 363 28 92; Email: info at nishishop dot ch; Monday 13:30 - 18:30, Tue - Fri 09:00 - 18:30, Sat 09:00 - 16:00, closed Sun; Japanese, German and English web site; Maki's local! Small store with a surprisingly comprehensive selection. Sometimes runs out of stock of popular items like tofu, especially on weekends. See a wordier review. (maki)

Thanh Hung Import + Export AG: Wehntalerstr. 280; 8046 Zürich; Tel. 044 371 38 77, Fax 044 371 39 55; General Asian grocery store.

YumiHana: Schützengasse 7; 8001 Zürich; Just off the Bahnhofstrasse, a couple of blocks from the main train station; Tel: 044-750 51 61 Fax: 044-211 57 59; Korean grocery store with a lot of Japanese ingredients, plus of course Korean goodies. Prices comparable to Nishi's. See a wordier review. Also has a small eat-in counter and takeout. (maki)

Also see this page.

United Kingdom/Ireland

See UK and Ireland page.

Europe-only mail order sites

Many places with web sites listed will ship to you within Europe, or at least within the same country. Visit the sites and find out!

Japan Centre ships all over Europe. This page lists the countries to which they will ship food. Shipping is free within the UK over £30 worth of merchandise. They ship non-comestibles worldwide. In my experience, their shipping is expensive but very fast. Excellent service. In Switzerland at least the price including shipping is about the same as buying locally, so it's handy for stuff that the local stores don't stock.(maki)
Japan Food Hall ships all over Europe. A fairly new store (opened in 2014 I believe), located in Surrey, UK. This page lists the countries they ship to with tariffs. Prices are competitive with Japan Centre. I have bought from them a couple of times already and have been happy with the service. (maki)
Ja-Mart is based in Germany and also states on their web site (which is in German, English and Japanese) that they ship to various countries in Europe. Besides food, they sell kitchenware, tableware, etc. including some 220V electrical appliances such as Zojirushi rice cookers.
Wai yee Hong is a Chinese supermarket in Bristol, UK. They will ship all over Europe.

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in France

General France notes

Many of the large supermarkets, especially in and around the big cities, carry a small selection of Japanese ingredients like 'sushi rice', instant miso soup, rice vinegar and the like. Japanese food seems to be trendy.

Paristore is an Asian supermarket chain with stores in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Has a very limited selection of Japanese food supplies, but an extensive variety of Chinese/Taiwanese foods and other Asian foods, e.g. Indian.

If you are in an area with no Japanese stores, look for the 'does mailorder' indication of some Paris stores.

Natto du Dragon is a natto maker in Provence. Strong tasting but very nice natto. They do mailorder, but you may need to poke the guy a few times before he ships to you. See my review here.

This April 2009 article in Le Monde (French) indicates that the popularity of Japanese cuisine in France may lead to more Japanese groceries opening up. (Hopefully!)

General notes on Japanese food shopping in southern France from Maki

Since we moved to Provence in southern France a couple of years ago, I've had time to assess the Japanese food shopping situation here. The closest Japanese grocery store to us is in Lyon (see below), but the selection is very small so we've ended making an occasional trip to Uchitomi in Geneva (see the Switzerland section on the Europe page) for perishables. Geneva is about 4 hours away from us, so it's a day trip, but if we have business there anyway it's not a big deal.

For non-perishables, I usually buy by mailorder from Japan Centre in London. Even if it's from the UK and figuring in the extra shipping costs, I find their prices and selection are better than the Paris stores. Their website is really easy to navigate, which helps a lot. I have bought the occasional extra special thing from Workshop Issé (see listing below under Paris).

I don't actually get to Paris that often - it's a 7 hour drive from here, and parking is a nightmare, and if we go by TGV we can't carry much. Geneva is much closer to us.

Regular French "gourmet" food sites like Bien Manger have started carrying a variety of Japanese foodstuffs, but the prices are pretty outrageous compared to Japan Centre or even Kioko.

We can get very good fresh fish, even sashimi-grade, from our local fishmonger. Go and visit your local fishmonger to see what they have! We also saw some fantastic fresh fish in Brittany.

Avignon

Asia: 29 avenue Monclar; 84000 Avignon; 04 32 76 32 80; Comments: "An Asian store, but with some japanese supplies." -(Céline); "Very tiny, nice people." (maki)

Pekin: 45 avenue Monclar; 84000 Avignon; 04 90 85 17 71; Monday - Saturday, 8:30–12:00/14:00–19:30; Comments: "Again, an asian store with a few Japanese products." -(Céline); "Very tiny, again nice people." -(maki)

Bordeaux

Comments: "The frenchbento blog and the blog of another japanese expat in Bordeaux ; blog no longer updated, as she got a job, but lovely for homemade food anyway)often refer to these stores." -(Céline)

La Maison du Japon: 28 rue de Cheverus, Bordeaux; French web site

Mostra: rue du Parlement Sainte Catherine, Bordeaux

Eurasie Bordeaux

Lyon

General comments: "And some precisions about the store I mentioned : Kazuki and Kimchi (real mirin, for instance, not the corn-syrup based one) and have some dashi, umeboshi, katsuobushi and kombu ; Whereas Paristore don’t sell these basic products (not to my knowing anyway). consequently Paristore is obviously cheaper, but often run short of some supplies in the japanese section." -(Céline)

See this an in-depth look at Japanese food shopping in Lyon.

Japon Store: CLOSED

Kazuki: 35, cours Gambetta 69003 Lyon (Métro Saxe Gambetta-Ligne B ou D); 04-78-60-75-04; Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat　9:30 - 13:00，14:30 - 19:00; Sunday and Holidays 9:30 - 12:00. Closed Wed; Japanese web site (a little French); Comments: "The only store in Lyon with only Japanese groceries. Tiny but helpful, with a fairly large range of products ; the owner also sells bento on weekend, pre-order required -(Céline)

Kimchi: 21 avenue Félix Faure 69003 Lyon(Métro Saxe Gambetta-Ligne B ou D); 04 78 62 75 30; Tue-Sat 09:00 - 19:00, Sun 15:00 - 19:00, closed Mondays; French and Korean web site; Comments: "A Japanese-Korean grocery store, alike to Kazuki." -(Céline

Paristore: 8 bld Joliot-Curie à VENISSIEUX ( bus 36, stop at Etats-unis-Viviani); also on the new Tram 4 line); 04.72.78.48.88; Comments: A big asian supermarket, with a wide range of supplies, some fresh vegetables, frozen food, and a Japanese department. -(Céline); Comments: Not much in the way of Japanese products when I was there. I found it rather depressing and scruffy. In Lyon, I think you are better off shopping at Kazuki, Kimchi and Supermarket Asie, all of which are within walking distance of each other. (maki)

Supermarché Asie: 12, Rue Passet; 69007 Lyon; Métro or tram - Guillotière; Tel : 04 78 58 92 65; Comment: It's general asian store, but it has by far the largest selection of japanese items in Lyon for a reasonable price- A lot of their japanese stuff come from Kyoko (paris) or Kazuki. Shopping there from now on ! ^^ (Céline); Comment: I got the impression that this is place is owned by Taiwanese people, since I saw a lot of Taiwan-specific things here. Has a better range of Japanese products than Paristore. (maki)

Marseille

Paristore: 61 boulevard Plombière; Marseille; Groceries, a general Asian 'all you can eat' buffet, housewares, etc.

Orange

Naturel et Bio: Rue d'Italie; 84100 Orange, France; Tel: 04 90 34 43 03; French web site; Natural/bio grocery store; Comments: "What I spotted after a quick trip : A large section dedicated to brown rice ( several brands of thai long grain brown rice and round grain rice, but also glutinous brown rice!), albeit no japanese rice ; Azuki beans and azuki bean flakes, nori, wakame, kuzu,arrow-root and kanten powder, shoyu, tamari, various sesame seeds products, green tea of course, umeboshi, umeboshi paste and several kinds of tofu. I was pleased to see they had a good selection of brown rice - however I was a bit disapointed with the tofu products : they all had the typical rubbery texture of european-manufactured tofu. ^^p But overall it was a nice discovery!" (Céline)

Paris and environs

See A Frugal Eats Japanese blitz through Paris and Bento sightseeing in Paris.

There are two major shopping areas for Asian food: The Chinatown area, which is in the 13th arrondissement, and the 1st and 2nd arrondissements (Métro: Pyramides, Opéra, or Quatre-Septembre), which have a concentration of Japanese stores and restaurants. There are also a few stores in the 15th arrondissement (Métro: Charles Michels).

Ace Mart
: 63, rue Saint-Anne; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 42 97 56 80; Metro: Pyramides or Quatre-Septembre; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. Doesn't seem to be affiliated with Ace Opera, but rather with Hi Mart (see listing below).(maki)

Ace Opéra
: 43, rue Saint-Augustin; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 40 07 93 57; Metro: Pyramides or Opera or Quatre-Septembre; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. Doesn't seem to be affiliated with Ace Mart.(maki)

Big Store: 81 avenue d'Ivry (Paris 13ème); Wed - Sun 10:00-19:30, closed Mon, Tue; Large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.; According to a couple of Japanese blogs, this Chinatown store has the best selection of Japanese ingredients, followed by Paristore. Their "Pearl Rice" (_Shinju-mai_) from California is recommended.

Fast Don: 52, rue des Petits-Champs (opposite Kioko); 75001 Paris; Tel: 01 4296 8624; Metro: Pyramides or Opera; Open 7 days (?) 12:00 - 15:00 for lunch; 17:00 - 23:00; At lunchtime this is a 'Japanese fast food' place that serves donburi (rice bowls) and such; also has takeout prepared food (osouzai) and bentos. At night time it turns into an izakaya.

Hi Mart
: 71-bis, rue Saint-Charles; 75015 Paris; Tel: 01 45 75 37 44; Metro: Charles Michels; Mon - Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun; Korean grocery store; Carries a lot of Japanese groceries (as is the case with most Korean groceries). Prices a tad cheaper than area Japanese grocery stores. (maki)

Kanae: 83 Av Emile Zola, 75015 Paris; French and Japanese web site; Tel:01.40.59.98.03; Métro: Charles Michels; Tue-Sun: 10:30 - 20:00; Closed Mon.; Japanese grocery store. Does mailorder within France.; Comments: "The shop is off the beaten path of the 13th and the usual suspect of shops by the Opéra, thus less deleriously busy. Kanae has a great selection of fresh, packaged and frozen japanese products. The staff is always congenial and helpful. I highly recommend. (Jool)

Kiôko: 46 rue des Petits Champs, Paris 75002; French and Japanese website; Tel: 01 42 61 33 65; Tue-Sat: 10:00 - 20:00; Sun: 11:00 - 19:00; Closed Mon.; Metro: Pyramides or Opera or Quatre-Septembre; Japanese grocery store. Does mailorder within France.; A Japanese grocery store, with a fairly comprehensive selection of Japanese products. Downstairs they have refrigerated and frozen goods, snacks, condiments and alcohol. Upstairs they have dried goods, dinnerware, instant noodles, and a small selection of bento boxes. Be sure to pick up their free paper (available at the entrance) if you speak Japanese. (maki)

Jujiya: 46 rue Sainte-Anne; 75002 Paris; Tel: 01 42 86 02 22; Metro: Pyramides; Open 10:00 - 22:00 every day except Sunday, when it closes at 21:00.; Sells prepared foods (osouzai), bento sets for eating in or takeout. Small grocery store section in back.

Momonoki: 68 Passage Choiseul; 75002 Paris; Tél: 01 4296 4837; French and Japanese website; Open M-F, 12-14:30; closed holidays; A tonkatsu and fried stuff (korokke etc.) restaurant that offers takeout bentos; bento menu is fixed and changes every day. Delivers within Paris. Operated by the same people who own Workshop Issé (see below).

Paristore: Paris 13ème; Another large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.

Tang Frères: 168, avenue de Choisy; Paris 13ème; Tel: +33 1 44 24 06 72; Another large Asian supermarket in the Chinatown area.; Comments: "To me it’s the best Asian store in France!" -(a big store in paris)

Toraya à Paris: 10, Rue St-Florentin; 75001 Paris; Tél : 01 42 60 13 00 Fax : 01 42 61 59 53; E-Mail : f-toraya [at] toraya-group.co.jp; Métro : Concorde (ligne 1, 8, 12) ou Madeleine (ligne 8, 12, 14); Open Mon-Sat, closed Sundays and holidays.; Toraya is arguably the best regarded wagashi maker (with a nationwide presence) in Japan. Their yokan (sweet bean jelly block) is a surefire hit as a gift in Japan. The Paris location has a store and a small tea room where you can enjoy their sweets and green tea. (They used to have a NYC location which closed some years ago.)

Workshop Issé: 11 rue Saint Augustin (Paris 2); Tel: 01 4296 2674; Mon - Sun 11:00 - 19:30; closed on national holidays; French and Japanese website. Does mailorder within France and throughout Europe.; Purveyor of high end artisanal Japanese ingredients and alcoholic beverages. Mailorder and small satellite store.; Full report

Strasbourg

Paristore: 27 Faubourg de Saverne; 67000 Strasbourg; 03 88 22 69 20

Super Asie Tien Hung: 4 rue Charles Peguy; 67200 STRASBOURG; Hautepierre; 03 88 28 37 97

Thailong: 15 rue La Fayette; 67000 Strasbourg; French web site; 03 88 40 12 20; Also at; 211 avenue de Colmar; 67000 Strasbourg; 03 88 40 05 18; A Thai store, obviously, but looks worth checking out.

Village Coréen: 10 rue Ste Catherine; 67000 STRASBOURG; Krutenau; 03 88 35 55 52; A small Korean grocery store.

Toulouse

Asia Delice: 8, Rue Austerlitz; 31000 Toulouse; 05 61 12 00 90; Comment: "a little store which sells as much food as ustensils. The owner is not Japanese but knows well what he sells and answers your questions." -(Nolwenn)

Paristore - Asia Center: 13 Rue Paul Gauguin; 31100 Toulouse (Le Mirail); 05 62 11 53 50; Comment: "this Paristore is centered on selling to restaurants’ owners but everybody can buy. It is not a Japanese grocery, but they have a range of japanese supplies." -(Nolwenn)

Also see the excellent FrenchBento blog (French). She doesn't know of any bento suppliers in France...and if anyone would know, she would I think!

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese food shopping in Lyon, plus different Asian stores as sources for Japanese food

This is a continuation of my series on Japanese food shopping, and frugal eating, in Europe. Previously I visited Paris and Düsseldorf's Japantown.

Lyon, the third largest city in France and arguably the second most important one after Paris, does not have a large Japanese expat or immigrant population. However, there are some Japanese corporations that have factories or offices in the area, not to mention a large university population. So in terms of the availability of Japanese groceries in France, it ranks second to Paris, although it trails behind by a large margin.

The main reason I've been interested in Lyon as a source for Japanese food is that we are seriously considering getting a house in the Provence. Lyon is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the Haut-Provence (northern Provence), the area we're looking at, so it would be my closest source. (Marseille, which has a Paristore but no Japanese groceries, is about the same distance away, and Avignon, about a 45 minute drive, has two tiny Chinese groceries.) I could order non-perishables from the stores in Paris such as Workshop Issé, or from Japan Centre and so on, not to mention have stuff sent over or bring them back from Japan, but that doesn't work for things like tofu, konnyaku, produce and frozen foods.

It also gives me a chance to talk a bit about where exactly you can find the Japanese ingredients that are mentioned here, regardless of the town you're in, because the shopping options in Lyon are limited yet straightforward.

Option 1 - Kazuki: The Japanese-owned Japanese grocery store

Kazuki (storefront pictured above) is a tiny, jewel-like boutique. In terms of presentation, it has a lot in common with Workshop Issé, but where Workshop Issé is selling high-end food and alcohol, Kazuki is at its heart just a regular Japanese grocery store. Things like cans of wasabi peas, ochazuke packets and run-of-the-mill furikake which only cost a few euros at most are displayed as if they were Hermés scarfs on sleek shelves. This is the Japanese aesthetic and penchant for neatness gone to the extreme.

Everything about Kazuki is beautiful and well presented, even their takeout bentos, which are neatly wrapped up in ribbon:

With a few exceptions, Japanese grocery stores tend to be rather neat and tidy places (though I've never seen one as pretty as Kazuki). They also tend not to carry any other Asian ingredients, though they may have a few Korean items.

Obviously a Japanese grocery store should be the first place to look for Japanese ingredients. If you want things like Japanese soy sauce from Japan, real mirin (hon mirin) rather than mirin-flavored cooking liquid (mirin fuumi choumiryou), go to a Japanese store, However, they can be a bit more expensive than other options, and because many Japanese grocery stores are small, the selection can be limited, especially when it comes to fresh produce.

Option 2 - Kimchi: The Korean-owned Korean grocery store

Kimchi, which is just a few blocks away from Kazuki, is a tiny yet fairly typical Korean grocery store. Korean stores always carry a large amount of Japanese items; usually the selection runs around 50/50 Korean/Japanese. Older Korean people often speak some Japanese.

I really liked Kimchi, because it also carries some 'biologique' items such as nigari (used to make tofu) and kuzu or kudzu powder (used to make kuzumochi, goma dofu and other things).

If you are lucky enough to have a large Korean market near you, it may be your first stop in a quest for Japanese foodstuffs, since they are likely to have most of the fresh produce used in Japanese cooking too. (Kimchi is too small to have any fresh produce unfortunately.)

Option 3 - Supermarché Asie: A Chinese owned Chinese grocery store

In terms of larger Asian grocery stores, there are ones that try to cover all of eastern and southern Asia, and ones that just concentrate on a particular region. Supermarché Asie, which is in the same general neighborhood as Kazuki and Kimchi, clearly concentrates on east Asia: China, Korea and Japan. And, although I don't speak a word of Chinese I can sort of tell apart Cantonese vs. Mandarin and different dialects/pronounciations (well, just aa bit), and I did get the impression that the store is owned by people from Taiwan. Taiwan has much stronger ties to Japan than mainland China, so a Taiwanese-owned store is much more likely to stock Japanese things.Of course, it's difficult to tell apart a Taiwanese store from any other kind of Chinese store just by reading labels, so you'll just have to look around.

The good thing from the standpoint of someone interested in East Asian cooking in general, is that a store like this can be a one-stop shopping destination.

Option 4 - Paristore: A general Asian/Exotic Food grocery store

Paristore is a chain of Asian supermarkets that has stores throughout France. I've only been to the one in Lyon so far, so my impressions are of this store.

Paristore is ostensibly a Chinese supermarket, but it also carries many other 'exotic' foodstuffs, from African to Middle Easten to Indian, Thai and so on. This does mean that the selection of Japanese products is quite small. While I did see Japanese-style rice (from Spain, Italy and California) and a few Japanese condiments, there were little else. However, many Chinese ingredients can be used in Japanese cooking, so it's not a total waste of time to go to a store like this.

What you have to look out for (and this holds true of Supermarché Asie too) are products that may look Japanese, with Japanese writing on them, which really aren't Japanese at all. For example, canned green tea is never sold with sugar in it in Japan, but it seems that green tea meant for the southeast Asian market often is. I also spotted some Chinese snacks (manufactured in Taiwan) with fake Japanese writing on them, in the way that many Japanese products have fake English, or Engrish, on them!

From the standpoint of Japanese ingredient availability, I think you can categorize most Asian markets in European and North American areas into these four categories. Three other categories are: Chinese stores catering to people who came from mainland China or Hong Kong (they carry very little if any Japanese food items); Thai/Malaysian Southeast Asian stores (these also carry very little if any specifically Japanese things); and south Asian/Indian stores (again not many Japanese ingredients if any at all, but may have vegetables that are used in Japanese cooking such as okra, taro root/satoimo, bitter gourd and sweet potatoes.) There are stores fitting all of these categories in Zürich, incidentally.

Special thanks to Céline, who has been great about keeping the Lyon and Provence sections of the Japanese Grocery Stores in France listing so up-to-date! That page is where you will find all the addresses and other pertinent information for the stores described below.

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping france

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Workshop Issé: Purveyor of the finest Japanese food and sake in the heart of Paris

From the outside, Workshop Issé looks like just another unassuming little Japanese grocery and gift store. There are quite a few stores of this nature scattered about Europe these days. But inside this little boutique in the heart of the Japanese quarter in Paris, you can experience something quite special: A crash course on top quality artisanal Japanese food and drink.

Inside the tiny store, sleek modern shelves are filled with what, to the untrained eye, might seem like the normal Japanese cooking ingredients - soy sauce, vinegar, spices, sake and other alcoholic beverages. Look closer though, and you soon see that these are no ordinary products. There's a soy sauce that's been aged for 2 years in ancient barrels; a pitch-black sweet miso that's been aged for 3 full years; finely sliced and dried battera konbu seaweed for making marinated mackerel. There are salted cherry blossoms that have been matured for six months, so no trace of bitterness remains. There are gardenia seeds (kuchinashi no mi), used as a natural yellow colorant - I've never seen these for sale outside of Japan, anywhere. There are what seem like dozens of fine sakes and shouchuus, and vinegars of all flavors and colors. This is a store with some seriously high end foodstuffs for sale.

The variety and quality of the selection is a little overwhelming, even for someone like me who at least knows what the products are. This store would be quite intimidating to someone not familiar with Japanese cuisine. But the Workshop part of Workshop Issé's name is a clue to their selling approach. Here, you can do a sampling of products, a degustation in fact (the method normally used to by a wine maker or merchant to sell wines), gently guided by a knowledgeable staff member, at least one of whom is a sake sommelier.

I had a chance to sit down and chat with with Monsieur Toshiro Kuroda, the owner and president of Workshop Issé. Having owned and run a Japanese restaurant in Paris for nearly 4 decades, he started Workshop Issé two years ago. His main reason, he said, was simply because he couldn't get a hold of the high quality ingredients he wanted from Japan through existing channels, so he decided to import them himself. There are no mass produced products here. All are of the highest artisanal quality; a typical supplier has 20 employees or less, and has been in business for more than 200 years. Here's M. Kuroda with his dog Pii-chan.

Besides selling via their web site and the boutique directly to customers, they also supply some of the best professional kitchens in France. For instance, if you've had the yuzu-flavored macaroons from Pierre Hermé, the yuzu juice and powder came from Workshop Issé. They also sell to the Michelin three star restaurant Troisgros.

I asked M. Kuroda about his marketing approach. He said that his mainly French customers take very well to the concept, since they are after all used to buying wine this way. They also don't blink an eye at the prices for their Grand Cru equivalent sakes, which can cost up to €250 per bottle and more.

It's obvious that M. Kuroda, not to mention his staff, take great pride in what they are doing. And no wonder - their product lineup would be impressive even in Tokyo. I don't know of a store like it anywhere, certainly not outside of Japan.

My budget that day was not up to buying a Grand Cru sake, so I picked up a few things that intrigued me. Here are a bottle of ume vinegar, and aged soy sauce. I love the classic labels, and the simple list of ingredients - for the soy sauce, just soy beans, salt, wheat. The ume vinegar is made from organic ume plums.

And here's some stone ground yuzu powder. Now I usually have this sent to me from Japan (or I buy it there), but it's nice to know it's available on this side of the world. The fragrance of this slightly coarse powder is wonderful, and the slightly bitter citrusy taste is addictive.

Is Workshop Issé worth a detour in Paris, even if you go to Tokyo regularly? I would say absolutely yes, unless you are thoroughly familiar with Japanese cuisine, speak and read Japanese fluently, or have a Japanese gourmet guide at your side. The combination of the carefully selected range of products and the knowledgeable staff, who speak Japanese, French and English, make this store a real winner. And if you aren't going to Tokyo on a regular basis and live anywhere near Paris or are visiting, and love Japanese food and cooking, it's a must stop.

I guess the only negative things about Workshop Issé are: They don't really have much in the way of fresh ingredients. There is a small refrigerated section with a limited supply of things like tofu and vegetables, plus real grated wasabi in a tube (€15, but worth it). Also, their prices are not cheap by any means, but you are paying for top quality.

Workshop Issé: 11 rue Saint Augustin (Paris 2); Tel: 01 4296 2674; Open 7 days, 11:00 - 19:30 with no lunch break. Closed on national holidays.; French and Japanese website. Mailorder within France and throughout Europe (but verify if they can ship something to your destination first).; Besides food and alcoholic drinks, they also have a small selection of dinnerware and gift items (they did have a couple of nice bento boxes).

You may also want to check out the rest of the Issé & cie. Japan-in-Paris mini empire: Bizan, a high end kaiseki restaurant; Issé, a 'tempura and tapas' restaurant; Momonoki, a tonkatsu and obento restaurant; and O-bento, a bento delivery service. All are described on this page (French). You can buy some readymade foods (osouzai) from the last three establishments at Workshop Issé too.

For a look at cheap Japanese eats in Paris, see A Frugal Eats mostly Japanese blitz through Paris.

(Merci beaucoup to Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini for telling me about Workshop Issé!)

Filed under: food travel japanese ingredients shopping france paris

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Japanese grocery stores in Germany

General notes on Germany: The biggest Japanese expat community is in the Düsseldorf area.

Updated May 2009.

Mailorder company based in Germany

Ja-Mart is based in Germany and also states on their web site (which is in German, English and Japanese) that they ship to various countries in Europe. Besides food, they sell kitchenware, tableware, etc. including some 220V electrical appliances such as Zojirushi rice cookers.: Comments on Ja-Mart: They tend to be rather slow in responding, though they do eventually ship! They sell some unusual items such as _natto kinase_ (natto spores) for making their own natto! For Swiss shoppers, they do ship to Switzerland though it's not listed in their dropdown menu of countries. (maki)

Berlin

Daruma Japan Food: Uhlandstr. 61; 10719 Berlin; TEL: 030 8736131

Düsseldorf

See my in-depth report on Düsseldorf's Japanese quarter around Innermanstrasse. Also see this article which described Düsseldorf as "Little Tokyo on the Rhine".

Bakery My Heart: Marienstr. 26; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 5504760; Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-18:00; closed Sun; Japanese-style breads, baked goods and sweets. Has a sleek modern cafe area for eating in.

Bakery Taka: Immermannstr.36; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 350374; Mon-Fri 7:30-19:00, Sat 7:30-18:00; closed Sun; Japanese-style breads, baked goods and sweets. Has a few tables for eating on the spot. (maki)

Dae-Yang Asiatische Lebensmittel/Taiyo Shokuhin: Immermannstr. 21; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 357227; Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00; closed Sun; Korean grocery store with a large number of Japanese foodstuffs (about 50/50). Dinnerware, cookware to the left of the store. Fresh fish counter. (One of the two grocery stores to target on Innermanstrasse - maki)

Kim's Asia Center: Stresemannstr. 27; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 369922; Korean/Asian market with Japanese products.

Maruyasu: Several locations; Annoying Flash only site in German; A Japanese deli. Bento boxes, readymade foods (osouzai) and sushi etc. to go. Also does catering. (Was not overly impressed by the quality - maki)

Rewe Nahkauf: Luetticherstr. 17; 40547 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 588432

Shochiku Im-Export GmbH: Immermannstr. 15, 40210 Duesseldorf; Tel: 0211 365959; Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00; closed Sun; Japanese grocery store, also has Korean foodstuffs (about 60/40 Japanese/Korean). Nice looking fresh fish and meat counter, a small fresh produce area. Narrow aisles, crowded. (One of the main grocery stores on Innermanstrasse. I liked their takeout sushi better than Maruyasu's. -maki)

Frankfurt

Akebono Catering: Hausenerweg 23; 60489 Frankfurt; Tel: 069 7894530

Himawari Handel: Closed, according to a recent comment.

Mori Craft GmbH: Schlossstr. 24; 60486 Frankfurt/M; Tel: 069 9520 8542

Hamburg

E-Shin Shopping: Grete-Nevermann-Weg 22-24; 22559 Hamburg; TEL: 040 810925

Heng Who: Gotenstr. 3; 20097 Hamburg; TEL: 040 230036

Sakai Shoten seit 1953: Grindelberg 41; 20144 Hamburg; TEL: 040 4221914; German and Japanese web site

Vinh Loi: Klosterwall 2a; 20095 Hamburg; TEL: 040 325889

Köln (Cologne)

Heng Long Asia Supermarkt: Aachener Str. 201-209; 50931 Koeln; TEL: 0221 2828800

München (Munich)

Munich also has several general Asian food stores. See this page for a big list.

Frischmarkt Sano: Frauenstr. 11; 80469 Muenchen; TEL: 089 23685941; Part of the Sushi Sano group, which does have a working website (in German), but they seem to have let the domain frischsano-markt.de expire.

Y. Suzuki - Japanische Feinkost: Rumfordstr. 40; 80469 München; S-Bahn - Isartor; TEL: 089-2166 9555; Fax:089-2166 9554; ysuzuki at t-online.de; Japanese and German web site

Japan Shop: Westenriederstr. 47; 80331 München; S-Bahn - Isartor; Tel.: 089 226663; Fax: 089 2904779

Mikado: Färbergraben 10; 80331 München; U-Bahn/S-Bahn - Marienplatz; Tel.: 089/26 03 343; Japanese web site

Two non-food stores:

Japanalia: Herzogstr. 7; 80803 München; U-Bahn - Münchner Freiheit; Tel.: 089/34 94 54; Fax.: 089/39 56 85; German web site; Non-food. "Japanese lifestyle" goods: furniture and fixtures, ceramics, handmade kitchenware, etc.

Japansalon: Ohmstrasse 3; 80802 Munich; Tel.: 089 33019644; Mon-Fri 11am - 7pm, Sat 11am - 4pm; Main store web site in German; Mailorder web site in English and German.; Non-food. "Japanese lifestyle" goods: books, manga, CDs, DVDs, Hello Kitty. Where Japanalia pushes traditional goods, Japansalon sells 'hip' and 'cute' stuff.

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in the UK and Ireland

Ireland

We do have some listings for Ireland in the comments below...I'll incorporate them in here soon!

UK

General UK notes: Obviously the vast majority of Japanese and Asian groceries are located in and around London!

London and environs

Arigato Japanese Supermarket: 48 Brewer Street; London W1F 9TG; 020 7287 1722; Comments: "A nicely laid out mini-supermarket with a prepared food/bento section. Prices are generally a little higher here than at the Rice Wine Shop." -(Loretta)

Centre Point Food Store: 20-21 St. Giles High Street; London WC2H 8LN; Tel: 020 7836 9860 Fax: 020 7240 1702; Korean and English web site; Comments: "Japanese and Korean store. Conveniently situated near Tottenham Court Road station, this good sized grocery stocks most of the common Japanese staples. Staff are friendly and very helpful with any Korean food questions you might have." -(Loretta)

Japan Centre: 19 Shaftesbury Ave.; London W1D 7ED UK; Tel: Multiple: See website; English and Japanese web site; e-mail: foodshop [at] japancentre [dot] com; Comments: The same company also operates a Japanese/Asian food cash and carry. They also run their own Japanese bakery, a ramen shop, and a lot more! See their website for more. This is where I get most of my mail-orderable Japanese groceries, since shopping from them is cheaper even if I add the shipping cost from the UK to France. (maki)

Japan Food Hall: Unit B Alpha House, 158 Garth Road, Morden Surrey, SM4 4TQ; Note: This is a mailorder only operation; English andJapanese website; Email: sales [at japanfoodhall.com; A fairly new store (opened in 2014 I believe). This page lists the countries they ship to in Europe with tariffs. Next day delivery on the UK Mainland. Prices are competitive with Japan Centre. I have bought from them a couple of times already and have been happy with the service. (maki)

Oriental City (CLOSED)

Rice Wine Shop: 82 Brewer Street; SOHO, LONDON, W1F 9UA; 020-7439-3705; Japanese web site; Comments: "I feel great loyalty to this store. Although small it has an excellent selection of groceries and consistently good prices. Can be accessed with a wheelchair (a squeeze but possible)" -(Loretta); According to the site they will delivery to the UK mainland (though their site is all in Japanese...)

Seoul Plaza: Seoul Plaza 4; 136 Golders Green Road; London, NW11 8HB; 020 8731 7999; Several other locations; Korean and English web site; Comments: "Not Japanese, but Seoul Plaza in Golders Green has a decent range of Japanese stuff. And looking at their website there are 3 branches in New Malden, one in Cambridge, and one in Bratislava (!). Not been to any of the others but I expect they also stock Japanese food." -(Alice)

(below is still unformatted - working on it!)

Oriental Delight Fairly pricey, but centrally-located and has a bigger range of Japanese food than the Chinese supermarkets nearby.

14 Gerrard St, London W1D 5PT 020 7439 1183

Wing Yip

Chinese but has a seperate Japanese section, as well as a decent selection of fresh produce. Prices are about as good as you’ll get in London, especially if buying in bulk. Haven’t been since they finished the remodelling of the Cricklewood store, and never been to the others. I usually visit every couple of months to stock up on basics in bulk, much easier to drive there (plenty of free parking) than to try and lug 5kg bags of rice back on the bus!

Wing Yip http://www.wingyip.com Chinese supermarket chain

395 Edgware Road Cricklewood London NW2 6LN Tel: 020 8450 0422 Fax: 020 8452 1478

544 Purley Way Croydon CR0 4NZ Tel: 020 8688 4880 Fax: 020 8688 8786

375 Nechells Park Road Nechells Birmingham B7 5NT Tel: 0121 327 6618 Fax: 0121 327 6612

Oldham Road Ancoats Manchester M4 5HU Tel: 0161 832 3215 Fax: 0161 833 2798

Hoo Hing Comments: "Same deal as Wing Yip. Only been to the Park Royal store, didn’t like it as much as Wing Yip so only been the once. Can’t remember how much Japanese stuff it actually had either but there was some!"

Hoo Hing

A406 North Circular Rd Near Hangar Lane Park Royal London NW10 7TN

Lockfield Avenue Off Mollison Avenue Brimsdown Enfield Middlesex EN3 7QE

Dorma Trading Park Staffa Road London E10 7QX

Bond Road Off Western Road Mitcham Surrey CR4 3EB

Hoo Hing Commercial Centre Freshwater Rd Chadwell Heath Romford Essex RM8 1RX

Others There is also Oriental City, which I’ve never been to and the many Chinese supermarkets in Chinatown which have some Japanese stuff and fresh produce. There used to be a lovely little Japanese shop called Unohana in Golders Green (opposite the tube station), it closed for renovation according to the sign in the window but now seems to have closed for good. It was quite expensive and didn’t have a huge range but did sell ‘sushi-quality’ fish and decent ready-made sushi and bento boxes. If it ever reopens I will post about it.

Alice | 25 January, 2008 - 17:29

Oriental City - Colindale (North London - UK)

Name: Natural Natural Address: 20 Station Parade, Uxbridge Road, Ealing Common W5 3LD 1 Goldhurst Terrace, Finchley Road NW6 3HX Website: http://www.natural-natural.co.uk/naturalnatural/indexe.html http://www.natural-natural.co.uk/naturalnatural/indexj.html

Not London

(Not formated yet!)

Wai Yee Hong Wai Yee Hong Eastgate Oriental City, Eastgate Road, Eastville, Bristol, BS5 6XX

Tel:0845 873 3388

Fax:0845 872 2288

web site in English

Korea Foods Mart Unit 5 Wyvern Industrial Estate, Beverley Way,New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4PH 020 8949 2238

Seoul Plaza 1 36 High Street, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4HE 020 8949 4329

Seoul Plaza 2 126 Malden Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 6DD 020 8942 9552

Seoul Plaza 3 91-93 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 2AW 012 2330 3610

Birmingham

Besides Wing Yip (see above)

There is a small Korean grocery on Bristol Rd., near Selly Oak station, which also carries Chinese and Japanese groceries.

Day-In Supermarket Chinese supermarket

http://www.dayin.co.uk/1.html

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in Australia, New Zealand, Pacific

Japanese grocery stores (or stores that stock Japanese food products) in Australia and New Zealand. If your favorite stores aren't listed, let us know the details in the comments!

Australia

Adelaide (South Australia) area

Little Tokyo! Japanese Food, Fashion & Culture: 2a Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000; (08) 8231 2255; Comments: "A small shop, but stocks a small but varied range of food items, homewares, tableware, DVDs & books. They regularly stock the Urara, Putifresh & Clickety Click bento boxes, but usually only in sets, containing a box, bento bag & chopstick set. They also occasionally have cutters, sauce bottles, onigiri moulds & picks, the range depending what they can import, I suppose! This is the only place in Adelaide that I can reliably find bento supplies. The food range is great - all the items have a ticket on the shelf with both the Japanese & English name, which is a great boon to those who can’t read Japanese! You can get difficult to find items such as sakura denbu and tarako spaghetti sauce. There is a frozen range with croquettes, kamaboko etc, and tofu, noodles etc in the fridge. The staff are quietly helpful, and I’m sure would be happy to advise on how to prepare a particular ingredient." -(alioc)

Brisbane (Queensland) area

Formosa: 102 Mary St, Brisbane; Comments: "Mostly Chinese but a good Japanese section. Reasonable prices and sometimes good sales." -(sherd)

dl>

Koz Market

85 Elizabeth St, Brisbane

Tel: (07) 3220 2677

Comments: "Has a good range of Japanese & Korean food, reasonable prices. Not very big." -(sherd)

Melbourne area

Perth (Western Australia) area

Nippon Fare: Crossways Shopping Centre; Crnr Rokeby Rd and Bagot Rd; Subiaco; Comments: "They don’t carry any fresh veggies, herbs etc, but they have a massive range of frozen, dried, bottled, packaged etc. goods."-(Hayley)

Sydney (NSW) area

Asian City: Shop 2; 369 Victoria Ave.(in Victoria Plaza); Chatswood, NSW; (02) 9419 8088; Comments: "Mostly Chinese goods, but they have a pretty large Japanese selection. Really, really good prices."-(Dina)

Jusco Asian Supermarket & Butcher: Level 6, Westfield Chatswood; 1 Anderson St, Chatswood; Korean, Japanese, Asian groceries. See this page.

VPlus Supermarket: Shop 10-14; Campsie Centre; 14-28 Amy Street; CAMPSIE NSW 2194; Tel: (612) 9718 8699 Fax: (612) 9718 6670; Open 7 days (check web site for hours); Chinese and English web site; Also at; Shop 1008-1010; Westfield Shopping Centre; Cnr Bathurst Street and Elizabeth Street; LIVERPOOL NSW 2170; Tel: (612) 9602 8688 Fax: (612) 9600 8300; Also at; Shop 42; Metro Shopping Centre; 34 Victoria Road; MARRICKVILLE NSW 2204; Tel: (612) 9550 3877 Fax: (612) 9550 5022; Also at; Shop 217; Gosford Town Centre; Cnr. Henry Parry Drive & Donnison Street; GOSFORD NSW 2250; Tel: (612) 4322 8699 Fax: (612) 4322 3099; Comments: "I use the one at Liverpool regularly, They have a decent range of Japanese food items but you will have to often search through the isles for what you want as the staff don’t know the Japanese names of things as the store tends to cater more towards chinese." (Becki)

New Zealand

(none listed yet!)

Japanese grocery stores (or stores that stock Japanese food products) in Australia and New Zealand. If your favorite stores aren't listed, let us know the details in the comments! (Once the information in a comment is incorporated into the main article, the comment is deleted.)

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Japanese grocery stores in Asia (other than Japan)

I need to update this section soon! In the meantime, take a look through the addresses listed in the comments.

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

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Japanese grocery stores in other places

Middle East, Africa, and other places.

(placeholder for now)

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping equipment and supplies

handbook

Food related shopping places in Japan you should visit

Please limit your suggestions to stores and places that are food-related: edibles, supplies, equipment, etc.

Precce Premium - Tokyo

Comments: "In a city where food presentation is elevated into an artform, this store peddles food pornography of the most sordid and explicit kind. I'm surprised the wheels of my chair didn't go rusty from the dribble trailing from my open mouth. From the displays of unbearably beautifully fruit to the softly cascading clouds of dry ice that caressed impeccably fresh fish in dream-like soft-focus, this store is nothing but a delectable series of temptations." -(Loretta) Link, Map.

All the 100 yen shops you could ever want to visit

...are all listed on this Guide to 100 yen shops by region (Japanese only unfortunately, but it's a start!)

See these articles on Just Hungry and Just Bento:

A tour through a Japanese department store food hall (Takashimaya in Yokohama)
Where to buy bento boxes and accessories in Japan
The Shin Yokohama Rauman (Ramen) Museum

Filed under: japanese ingredients shopping japan equipment and supplies

Mailorder merchants that ship Japanese goods worldwide

These Japanese-food-goods oriented companies ship worldwide.

See also Overseas Shipping Services on this page.

Mailorder sources

Sites that I've tried myself are marked with a (maki).

General stores

These mailorder stores carry a wide variety of products, edible and otherwise.

J-List: Food is limited to snacks and so on. Also carries lots of bento supplies, dinnerware, utensils, cookbooks. Carries a lot of NSFW products (mainly manga, anime of a hentai bent) but has age check. (To go directly to the SFW section without the hentai DVDs and such, go to JBox.com - same company, PG rated.) Prompt service, website is a bit cumbersome, but a big selection of things to browse through. (Note that Just Hungry is a J-List affiliate; by clicking on the link to make your purchases you help to support the site at no cost to you.) (maki)
Japan Centre: food only within Europe, but equipment and books worldwide. Very prompt service, easy to use website. (maki)
Japonmania is a site in French and English. They list several bento boxes and such.
Katagiri: Their web site states they ship worldwide, though I suspect that policy applies to the non-edible housewares. They do ship food all over the U.S.

Bento suppliers

See this comprehensive page on our sister site, Just Bento: Where to buy bento boxes and equipment.

Specialists

Evergreen Seeds: Japanese and other Asian vegetable and herb seeds. My favorite source for Japanese seeds, other than my mom! (maki)
Hibiki-an: A tea farm near Kyoto.
Korin: Knives, tableware, kitchen ware. Also has a showroom/store in NYC.
Zensuke: Kitchenware, tableware, gifts from Japan. A nice selection.
O-cha.com: A green tea seller. I like their matcha-green tea mix iced tea bags. (maki)

Overseas shipping services

These companies act as your 'friend who lives in Japan', for a fee of course. You have things shipped to them from merchants who don't ship overseas, which they will then send it to you. The commission is usually around 10%, but it pays to compare their service fee structures (some require a flat service fee on top of the percentage.)

The following 3 services frequently offer 3,000 yen off if you purchase more than a certain amount from Rakuten and some other shopping sites.

Tenso may be the biggest shipping service. Their web site is in English, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese. They charge a 10% fee for receiving and shipping your package to you. They can also consolidate multiple package for you before shipping them out to you, for an additional fee. Comments: I've used them a couple of times, and they are fairly reliable, although they are very slow sometimes responding to questions. (maki)
Goyokikiya is my packing shipping service of choice at the moment. However, they don't seem to have an English explanation page - although they do have an English login option. They are very fast, respond to questions in a timely manner, and don't charge extra for consolidating packages. (maki)
Baggage Forward Com is a service based in Osaka. They charge similar fees to the two above. Because they are based in Osaka, their packages tend to leave a day or so later than the ones leaving from Narita, in my experience.
DankeDanke (English and Japanese site) Comments: "I have used dankedanke a couple of times, with no problems. Shipping was very fast." -(anon.)
i-TM4u (English only site), but their blog (English) makes me think they are Japanese. Note: as of November 2014 they seem to be out of business? Comments: "I use i-tm4u for anything I want to buy from Japan, especially when the company does not ship OS. I've bought a few Bento boxes as well as other non Bento items through them and they have always been well packaged and arrive quickly. Their commission is low and shipping is very reasonable." -(Becki)

"Today i received my work-of-art lunchbox and can say that i-TM4U [...] is a very good and reliable shopping agent. It is very difficult to communicate with Japanese companies in English so i was glad to rely on their help with payment, shipping etc. i-TM4U was very accurate with all the info, the box was very well packed as i asked and the pricing is reasonable, too." -(Anna from Russia)

Japan to Door (English only site) - offers similar services.
Rinkya. Comments: "I’ve used Rinkya a few times, and they’re pretty reliable." -(anon)

If you know of other places, let us know in the comments!

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