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

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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

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