A Look Inside a Japanese Grocery Store
It’s something of a running theme in the West that Japanese food is so exotic compared to the rest of the world. Even in 2023, people moving here from abroad may not know a whole lot about what Japanese people eat aside from sushi. Among those who come here with a certain amount of Japanese knowledge, there will definitely be at least one time where you aren’t quite sure what it was you are eating. So here’s DISCOVER DEEP JAPAN’s aisle-by-aisle overview of a Japanese supermarket: what they have, what they won’t have, and hopefully teach you a thing or two about the contemporary Japanese diet along the way.
Produce: Fruits And Veggies
This tends to be the first thing you see in most Japanese supermarkets. Produce in Japan has a reputation for being quite costly: those pictures of boxed melons going for tens of thousands of yen belie the fact that for hundreds of years Japan was a mostly agrarian society. You don’t need to spend a small fortune to get your daily serving of greens!
Things you can buy:
Cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, just about anything you would need to make a proper salad back at home is here and plentiful! Most are only about 100 yen each.
Things you can’t buy:
Fruit which is not in season is either not available, or available at a considerable markup. Packages of apples or strawberries usually go for upwards of 500 yen. Things like grapes, bananas, and pineapple are usually imported from major growers like Dole. See below for tips on how to get the best local fruit for the most reasonable price.
Things which are new n tasty:
Tons and tons of kinds of edible seaweed. Seaweed’s a vegetable, right? There’s also interesting veggies like takenoko (edible bamboo shoots) and konyaku (konjac root). The latter was actually the first thing I ever bought at a Japanese supermarket; I had no idea how to cook it, and the result was rubbery and tasteless. I’d recommend ordering a dish with it first, such as batashoyu konyaku (grilled konyaku with butter and soy sauce) or spicy chili pepper konyaku, to experience konyaku how it was meant to taste. If you REALLY like it, there is even a konyaku themed amusement park in Gunma!
Other tips:
Fruit here is usually expensive unless you either buy it from a supermarket on sale, or if you have a fruit and vegetable market nearby. These so-called yaoya san can provide you with fruit that is often significantly fresher and cheaper than what you will find at conventional supermarkets. Usually they still can be found in older neighborhoods, or sometimes there are stalls set up outside train stations.
Breakfast Food
We’re specifically talking western breakfast here; the traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, pickled veggies, and fish isn’t super different from what you might have for any other Japanese-style meal.
Things you can buy:
Not many choices of cereal but you do have your basics: frosted flakes, oatmeal, granola type stuff, and generic chocolate-y cereal.
Things you can’t buy:
Any cereal besides the above. Maybe your favorite taste of home can be found in import shops, or at novelty stores like Don Quixote (if you’re lucky).
Things which are new n tasty:
Some Japanese do like okayu; this is a rice porridge that resembles congee. I personally never eat it unless I’m sick in bed.
Other tips:
You could always just buy cereal marshmallows in bulk and add it to your Japanese cereal of choice. Be creative!
Meat and Fish
Historically, Japanese people did not eat much meat, however the same cannot be said today! Most people here are pretty hardcore carnivores and like their Big Macs as much as people everywhere else.
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There is your typical selection of various cuts of beef, chicken, and pork. You also have a variety of microwavable cold cuts, and meat-filled dumplings like shumai and nikuman. You can sometimes even find soup dumplings if you’re lucky.
As for fish, some, like shirasu (whitebait) are quite cheap and plentiful, with a big pack of them only 200-300 yen. Saba (mackerel) also tends to be cheap when buying whole fish, maybe half as much as salmon or yellowtail. In Japanese supermarkets, you will find more fish than you ever knew existed! As a rule, dried fish is cheaper than raw. Also relatively inexpensive is kamaboko, a type of fish sausage. Don’t think kamaboko is low quality or not tasty, there are in fact shops that specialize in all types of delicious kamaboko!
Things you can’t buy:
Some fish common in the West, like swordfish or tilapia are quite rare to find in supermarkets. Unagi (eel) is available, but the price keeps climbing as the worldwide supply gets smaller and smaller. Anago (conger) remains a cheaper alternative.
Things which are new n tasty:
Unless you have a real aversion to offal, you too might learn the joys of eating horumon! It, and is definitely worth trying at your local yakiniku restaurant or izakaya sometime.
Other tips:
In Japan, tofu is thought of less as a meat substitute, and more like any other ingredient; it is quite common to see many dishes with both meat and tofu in them. You will see many different types of tofu: Momen is firmer tofu while kinu is softer. However, other plant-based “impossible” meat substitutes are slowly becoming more available.
The dairy section
The Japanese supermarket dairy selection shouldn’t be too surprising, with one notable caveat, which some of you might be rather annoyed by.
Things you can buy:
Eggs are usually sold in packs of 6 or 10; don’t worry, the brown ones are OK too! You can also find things like onsen tamago, which are slow-cooked soft-boiled eggs, which depending on where you buy them, might actually be cooked in onsen water. Most milk in Japan tends to be whole milk. Almond milk is somewhat common these days. Yogurt in Japan tends to be unsweetened, and a lot of it is of the drinkable variety.
Things you can’t buy:
Cheese. This one’s a real heartbreaker: in Japan the selection of cheese is woefully limited and VERY expensive. Most of what you will probably be getting is so-called “torokeru” cheese, either in American cheese-style slices or shredded in packs. It’s edible, and good for things like melting on pizza, but doesn’t taste like much other than salt. Cream cheese is fairly common, and shouldn’t be that different from what you are used to.
Things which are new n Tasty:
A TON of varieties and flavors of soy milk, many of which are even sold in convenience stores!
Other tips:
If you’re lucky, you can sometimes find a block of locally made cheese for a reasonable price. Just don’t expect anything made here to be too fancy.
Don’t forget the condiments!
Why limit yourself to just ketchup and mustard? Actually, the most popular western condiment here would have to be mayonnaise.
Things you can buy:
Heinz and other western brands have been making inroads, but many of the tomato-based condiments you will find are made by Kagome. Their ketchup is fine, but Japanese salsa tastes noticeably different and might not be to your liking. Any kind of mayonnaise labeled karashi (辛子) is going to be spicy, so be careful! As you’d expect, there is plenty of Kikkoman soy sauce, in all kinds of varieties. You will also find plenty of things that look like soy sauce that aren’t, like tsuyu (つゆ) a sauce that people like dipping their soba or udon noodles in.
There is also every salad dressing under the sun; some of them are actually meant to be used as sauces for Japanese-style pasta dishes.
Things you can’t buy:
Not all supermarkets carry decent red sauce. Expect most of them to taste like ketchup and / or chemicals.
Fun fact: What is called “Napolitan” in Japan actually is made with ketchup! I’m a little ashamed to say it isn’t half-bad…
Things which are new n tasty:
“Sauce” (ソース) is basically all-purpose Japanese gravy. A savory spread called “Gohandesuyo” is a cultural phenomenon that will either be with the normal condiments or the condiments meant specifically for rice, such as furikake. You didn’t think Japanese people only ate plain white rice, did you?
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Gennen Shoyu(減塩醬油) means reduced salt soy sauce, which tastes basically the same and is much better for you!
On to Dessert! Snacks and Baked Goods
Say goodbye to that diet! Or don’t; Japanese snacks are both delicious and (generally speaking) aren’t as sweet as the stuff you may have stuffed down every Halloween back home.
Things you can buy:
An all-star lineup of chips, snacks, domestic chocolates, as well as foreign brands like Hershey’s. You can also find wagashi, Japanese sweets like mochi, but it will likely be in a different part of the shop.
Things you can’t buy:
Typical Japanese bread is white bread; for anything more interesting and better tasting, try a bakery.
Things which are new n tasty:
Dagashi is basically Japanese penny candy. It used to be more readily available in specific stores called “Dagashiya,” but these are much fewer and farther between now. They are pretty interesting, and only cost 30-40 yen a piece. It is also common to find toys in the same place as the dagashi.
Other Tips:
Considering how few flavors of popcorn there are here, you might be better served just buying a popcorn popper and making your own delicious concoctions.
“Foreign” Foods
While there are dedicated stores just for foreign food (Kaldi and Jupiter being two of the more popular chains), some have made their way to your local grocery store!
Things You Can Buy:
Plenty of pasta, frozen pizza, naan, and taco shells. Since the k-pop boom has struck once again you are more likely than ever to find instant tteokbokki or jajangmyeon. Pizza will be cheaper than delivery, but comparable in terms of size.
Things You Can’t Buy:
PEANUT BUTTER. Instead say hello to peanut butter’s less attractive cousin: Peanut cream! Sometimes it’s a bizarre desert spread, and other times it’s almost got a jelly-like consistency. You’ll never mistake it for the real thing.
Things which are new n tasty:
Japanese kimuchi is actually legally distinct from kimchi; can you taste the difference?
Other Tips:
Thanks to globalization, you no longer have to “get used” to eating only Japanese food, though eating more of it will definitely save you money.
Aaaaand the rest!
This is starting to drag on, so here’s a quickie rundown of what’s left!
Things You Can Buy:
- Soba and udon are usually separate from pasta, and cost half as much!
- Sauces and kits for making nabe (hot pot dishes)
- Lots of instant ramen and curry
- Bento lunches and deli salads
- Ready-made sushi and sashimi
- Lots and lots of sake and whisky
- Some beer
- R I C E
- Tea and coffee
- Pet food and supplies
- Tableware
- Light bulbs!
Things you can’t buy:
Japanese supermarkets have few canned soups or much in the way of craft beer.
Things which are new n tasty:
You can probably find a jar of regular ol’ pickles these days, but truth be told Japanese people love pickling and fermenting things! Every supermarket will have a whole aisle of so-called “tsukemono,” featuring every pickled thing under the sun. One of the most notorious is fermented soybeans, called natto.
Other Tips:
Did you really think there was only one kind of rice? Prepare to learn about rice from all over Japan- all of which has to be washed unless labeled musenmai (無洗米). Brown rice is not common.
Tallying the cost
If there is one lesson that I hope you learn from all this, it’s that while Japanese supermarkets are great and convenient, you don’t need to buy EVERYTHING there. Do be on the lookout for a local neighborhood butcher shop, fish market, etc. in your area. While less convenient, you can often save money and still buy great, if not better quality stuff. Just like you shouldn’t necessarily buy everything at conbinis because of the markups, the same applies to your typical supermarket chain. So called “discount” supermarkets do exist, but vary pretty wildly in terms of product quality and selection- you are usually sacrificing one or the other.
Helpful Links:
Information on some specific supermarket chains can be found here
https://jw-webmagazine.com/cheapest-supermarkets-chains-in-japan/
You can estimate your budget in Japan here
https://risupress.com/japanese-language-schools/cost-of-living-budget-calculator/
