ingredients

About Japanese ingredients and substitutions

maki — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:28:08 +0200

I haven’t exactly counted it up, but of the thousands of comments left on Just Hungry, not to mention Just Bento, probably at least a quarter are questions about ingredients or ingredient substitutions. So I thought I might put down what my criteria are for what kind of ingredients I choose to feature in the recipes on either site, especially when it comes to Japanese recipes.

Can I get a hold of it?

In case you didn’t know, at the moment I live in a country with a fairly miniscule Japanese expat or immigrant population (the last I heard there were less than 2000 Japanese people living in the Zürich area). There is only one real Japanese grocery store near me, and it is quite small with a limited selection of products. There’s also an equally small (though slightly better stocked) Korean grocery store, and a couple of Chinese grocery stores. (See Where I shope for Japanese/Asian ingredients in Zürich.) I supplement what I can get locally by placing an order with Japan Centre a few times a year.

My point is, that what I can get is fairly limited compared to many people, though more generous than others. So by sticking to what I can get here, I think that I’m in a good middle ground for people trying to cook anything Japanese. If you live in a region (e.g. most of California, New York City, or Hawaii) with big Japanese expat/immigrant populations, you have a much bigger selection available to you than I do!

(My mom also sends me things from Japan periodically, but I do not include the more exotic things in the recipes here, though I might mention then in passing.)

Is it available by mailorder?

I also periodically check to see if certain ingredients are available online. Some online merchants don’t have very comprehensive listings on their web sites, but by emailing them they can tell you if they have something in stock.

Where to look for Japanese ingredients

In order of the likelihood of finding Japanese ingredients:

Japanese grocery stores, including online stores. This is obvious. Please consult the Worldwide Japanese grocery store list for your area, and go to your nearest store to see what they have! That’s the best way to get acquainted with unfamiliar ingredients.
Korean grocery stores. A lot of Japanese ingredients are used in Korean cooking.
Chinese grocery stores and general Asian grocery stores. Chinese grocery stores tend to stock less Japanese ingredients than Korean grocery stores, but you can still find a lot of things.
Health food stores, including online stores. Many dry and/or vegan ingredients, such as rice flour, kuzu powder, agar-agar, miso and so on can be found at health food stores.
South East Asian grocery stores (Thai, etc.) These stores don’t stock Japanese ingredients per se, but some of the fresh product and things can be used.
South Asian grocery stores (Indian, Sri Lankan, etc.) These can be a surprisingly good source for ‘exotic’ vegetables and such that are used in Japanese cooking.

Is it a widely used ingredient in Japanese cooking?

In general, I try to stay away from any ingredient that might be considered to be too regional or esoteric in Japan, and stick to ingredients that are likely to be in any Japanese kitchen.

Is the recipe something that is normally made in Japan?

When I do traditional Japanese recipes here, I try to stick to ones that are commonly made in Japanese homes (vs. something exotic, regional or so complicated it’s only available in restaurants).

The exception to this rule is when I try to make something that is readily available in Japan, but not necessarily elsewhere. An example of this is really fresh tofu. The hard work required is worth it for the results.

Ingredient substitutions

In certain cases, you can make substitutions without a problem. I try to include substitution recommendations whenever possible, or when I am fairly sure it would work. For instance, many Japanese recipes call for katokuriko （片栗粉）which is a flour made from potato starch, but this is hard to get outside of Japan in most places. Cornstarch (or cornflour) has a very similar texture and performs the same function, so that is an easy substitute. Using honey or syrup instead of maple syrup will change the flavor a bit but also works.

In some cases though there is no substitution. If you are making kuzumochi, you really can’t use anything other than kuzu powder if you want the same texture.

Sometimes you just need to try out a substitution to see if it works. For instance, when I call for a specific rice flour like shiratama-ko or joushinko, but you can’t get it, try substituting a rice flour you can get and see how it goes. (I ‘ve made rice dumplings with red rice flour from Sri Lanka, and it turned out fairly well.) The worst that can happen is that you end up with an inedible dish that you have to throw away, but that’s not the end of the world. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes!

The role of alcohol, onion and ginger in Japanese meat dishes

maki — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:00:50 +0200

Periodically, someone asks a question about subsituting or leaving out sake or mirin from a dish (most recently to the chicken karaage recipe). This reminds me of how certain ways of thinking exist in Japanese and East Asian cooking, that may not necessarily exist in Western cooking. One of those is the perception of the flavor of meat.

Whenever meat is used in traditional Japanese cuisine (including Okinawan cuisine), it is almost always cooked with one or more of the following ingredients: leek or another member of the onion family; ginger; alcohol in the form of sake or mirin; or sugar. All of these ingredients serve a single purpose, besides adding flavor - to counteract the perceived gaminess of meat. This gaminess is quite disliked, so you don’t really see dishes that involve meat that’s just been cooked plain, as you see in Western cuisines. Dipping sauces also often serve the same purpose.

Here are some examples:

For chicken karaage grated ginger and sake both counteract any gamy quality in the chicken.
In this nibuta (poached and marinated pork) recipe, leeks, ginger and umeboshi in the poaching liquid all serve to counteract the pigginess of pork.
This panfried and poached duck breast recipe is not exactly traditional, but follows traditional methods and thinking. Here the alcohol (mirin, wine and brandy) in the marinade counteract the gamy quality of the duck, as does the wasabi the sliced meat is served with.

This principle is also true for many of the regional varieties of Chinese cooking, especially the Cantonese or Hong Kong style which is the most familiar to Japanese palates. In the pork filling for gyoza dumplings, grated ginger, green onions and garlic (or the more usually used garlic chives or nira) all counteract the pork’s pigginess. The vinegar or hot chili oil that’s added to the soy sauce for dipping also cut the gaminess. (Mustard serves the same function in the dipping sauce for shuumai dumplings.)

A very simple method of dealing with ground pork, a much used ingredient, in Cantonese style cooking is to add water which has been flavored by leeks that have been bruised and steeped in it for a few minutes. Sometimes freshly cut ginger is added to this water as well. One of the simplest and best fillings for wonton dumplings is ground pork that has been flavored with leek-water alone.

So, the next time you are looking at a Japanese (or East Asian) recipe with meat in it, and wonder about substituting or leaving out any of these ingredients, keep in mind that that will affect the outcome of the dish quite a lot.

Cooking whole dried soybeans

maki — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:53:24 +0200

Until fairly recently I had a blind spot when it came to the humble soybean. I regularly consume soy products like soy milk, tofu and okara, not to mention fermented soybean products like natto and tempeh. And green soybeans or edamame are always a great snack.

But for some reason, I didn’t really get into eating the whole dried (and cooked) soybean. It’s not that they are that much harder to cook than other dried beans either.

In any case, I’ve rectified that situation and now I cook up a batch of soybeans quite regularly and store them in the freezer. Plain boiled soybeans are amazingly delicious, and just packed with nutrition. The cooking liquid is so rich that it can be used as a very nutritious stock or dashi for making soups and such.

There are a couple of points to watch out for when cooking whole soybeans, which are noted below in copious detail.

Step 1: Wash and pick over

Rinse the dried soybeans, rubbing them together gently to remove any surface powdery residue , and pick out any dark or discolored beans. These will not cook properly. If any of the hulls work themselves loose while you’re washing, pick those out too.

Step 2: Soak overnight

Soak the beans in water to cover for several hours or overnight. You may need to soak them a bit longer than other types of beans. Also, the bring to a boil then let sit for an hour method of speeding up bean cooking does’t really work well for some reason.

After soaking, you can optionally split the beans by squeezing them gently. (An alternative is to use a food mill to split the dried beans, but I don’t have such a device so if I want the beans split I do it after they are saturated with water.)

Step 3: Use a big pot

Just like soy milk foams up like crazy while it’s being cooked, soybean cooking liquid will bubble up quite enthusiastically, all over your stovetop if you don’t watch out. So the dried soybeans should not come up to more than 1/4th of the height of your cooking pot, and the cooking water should only come up to about 1/3rd of the height maximum. In other words, use a big pot, or cook less. This is particularly true if you’re using a pressure cooker - the viscous cooking liquid may even clog up the works, so be careful. (My pressure cooker can handle about 3 cups of dried beans.)

Step 4: Bring to a boil, then skim off the grey stuff

Whether you are using a pressure cooker or a regular pot, you should first bring the soybeans to a boil, then skim off the greyish stuff that will rise to the surface of the water.

Step 5a: Using a pressure cooker

After you’ve skimmed off the initial grey stuff, put a heat-safe plate that is a smaller than the circumference of the pot on top of the beans. This plate helps to keep the beans from dancing around, and also prevents any loose hulls from rising up and possibly clogging the pressure valves. Once it’s reached pressure, lower the heat and cook for 20-25 minutes. Turn off and let cool naturally until de-pressurized.

Step 5b: Using a regular pot

Heat up to a boil, then put a heat-safe plate or an otoshibuta on top of the beans. Cooking time is about 3 hours, but don’t worry, you don’t have to watch it continuously for that time. Top up with additional water from time to time if it seems to be cooking off, and skim off any grey stuff. A slow cooker would work too. The beans are done if you press one between your finger and thumb and it’s soft, not crunchy. (Or just eat one!)

Step 6: Draining and removing the hulls

Once the beans are cooked using either method, stir then let them sit a bit - the loose hulls will rise to the surface. Skim these off. Strain the beans, reserving the liquid to use as a vegan stock. (Don’t get too concerned about a few loose hulls left in. Removing those hulls is just a good idea because they tend to end up undigested and loose in your innards, which may cause you to rooty-toot-toot a bit more than you may want to and such.)

Step 7: Optional oven drying

The beans at this stage are pale and rather soft. You can use them as-is, but one thing I like to do to at least half the beans is to slow-dry them in the oven. This makes the beans firmer and meatier, and more suited to use as a meat substitute.

Just spread out the well drained and cooked beans on a baking sheet, and put into your oven at the lowest possible heated setting. On my oven that’s 50°C or 122°F. Leave the sheet of beans in there for about 2 hours, turning occasionally. They will shrink to about 20% and turn a light reddish brown. If you taste one it should be just a bit chewy but not hard.

You can use these dried soybeans coarsely ground in a food processor as a ground meat substitute in pasta sauces and such, or to make soy burgers and so on. (You can dry canned soybeans in this way too.)

Storing and freezing

I store un-dried soybeans in freezer bags with a little bit of the cooking liquid. These are used in stewed dishes, soups and such. The dried beans are stored on their own in freezer bags. The cooking liquid can be frozen too.

So there you have it. It may seem complicated, but it really isn’t once you’ve done it once. And the results are worth it especially if you are a vegan/vegetarian. And it’s wonderfully cheap too.

Now, of course you can turn these boiled soybeans into fun things like tempeh and natto. That’s for another day….

Time-tested vegan proteins

maki — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:57:49 +0100

More and more these days I’m getting requests for vegan and vegetarian recipes. While I’m not a vegetarian as I’ve stated here before, I like to eat a daily menu that’s light on meat, and am always interested in vegan and vegetarian protein options.

There are several what I’d call factory-manufactured vegan or vegetarian protein products out there, from TVP to quorn. I’m sure (or fairly sure) they are safe and wholesome to eat, but I’m more interested in traditional, or time-tested, vegan/vegetarian protein alternatives.

This is the list I’ve come up with so far. They are Japanese-centric, since that’s what I’m most familiar with. Do you have any others to add?

Soy bean products:
- Boiled soy beans
- Green boiled soy beans (edamame)
- Fermented soybeans (natto)
- Fermented black soy beans (mostly Chinese)
- Fermented soy bean paste (miso and related products; Japanese, Chinese, Korean)
- Tofu and tofu variations - fried, etc.
- Soy milk
- Yuba (skimmed soy milk sheets)
- Tempeh (Southeast Asian)
- Okara (soy bean bran left over from making soy milk or tofu (thx for the reminder toontz!)
- Kinako (toasted and ground soy bean powder)
Chickpeas and chickpea products:
- Hummus
- Chickpea flour
- Cooked whole chickpeas
Other beans and legumes (also often available ground)
- Lentils/ Dal
- Azuki beans (also called red beans)
- White beans or navy beans
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Lots of other beans
Whole grains
- Brown rice and other whole-grain rices (black rice, red rice, etc.)
- Whole wheat and products made from whole wheat flour (bread, pasta, couscous, etc)
- Quinoa (particularly high in protein)
- Millet
- Whole oats
- Buckwheat
- Amaranth
Seeds and nuts and products made from them
- Sesame seeds
- Tahini
- Flax seeds
- Peanuts
- Peanut butter
- Almonds
- Cashew nuts
- Walnuts
- Hazelnuts
- All kinds of other nuts
Other whole foods
- Chestnuts
- Chestnut flour
- Coconut
- coconut milk
- Avocado
Traditional processed proteins (other than soy bean based ones)
- Fu (toasted and dried wheat gluten, 25-30g of protein per 100g, see more)
- Seitan (also wheat gluten - since the 1960s anyway)
- Kanpyou (dried gourd strips, 7.1g protein per 100g)
Protein-rich sweets
- An or anko (sweet azuki or white bean paste)
- Annin dofu (almond jelly, made with agar-agar)
- Many Indian sweets and Persian sweets are bean, chickpea based
- Ice cream! (well it is lacto-ovo-vegetarian :))

And you also have the lacto-ovo proteins if you loosen up your rules to extend to milk and eggs:

Lacto-ovo/non-vegan proteins:
- All kinds of eggs - chicken duck, quail, ostrich…
- All kinds of milk - cow, goat, sheep, etc.
- All kinds of cheeses - from cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, etc. milk
- Other milk products: butter, yogurt/yoghurt, kefir, cream, buttermilk….

Not a good protein source

Mushrooms are not a protein source, even though they are often used in vegetarian dishes as a sort of meat substitute. They may taste meaty, especially the heartier ones like portobellos (which are just overgrown brown button mushrooms) but are basically just fiber and water with small quantities of Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and B2 (riboflavin), calcium, Vitamin C and iron. They are on the other hand tasty and very low in calories. You’re getting a lot more protein from the bun part of a portobello burger than from the ‘burger’.

Fu, the mother of seitan

maki — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:48:58 +0100

Vegetarians are probably familiar with seitan as a meat substitute. Seitan is wheat gluten that has been kneaded in such a way that the gluten threads align themselves to resemble meat. It was invented by advocates of the macrobiotic food movement in Japan, specifically as a meat substitute, in the 1960s. (Wikipedia entry.)

But way before there was a macrobiotic movement, let alone seitan, people in Japan were already eating a wheat protein product called fu (麩). Like seitan, fu is made from the gluten that is extracted from wheat flour. Sometimes the gluten is mixed with other ingredients. There are two kinds of fu: raw (namafu 生麩), which is basically fresh fu; and grilled and dried (yakifu or yakibu 焼き麩). Here I’d like to focus on the dried kind which is much easier to get a hold of for people outside of Japan. It’s also a great pantry item, since it keeps for a long time.

How yakifu is made and types of yakifu

Yakifu is traditionally made by forming raw fu into various shapes, then slowly grilling it over a flame until barely colored on the outside and totally dried out. It has various names according to how it’s made, and where it comes from. Here are three types of yakifu that I happened to have in my pantry:

From top left going clockwise, they are called komachibu, chikuwabu, and shounaifu. (Chikuwabu is called that because it resembles chikuwa, the fish paste product that’s popular in oden.)

Here’s a closeup of the komachibu, which is the kind that I find to be most versatile.

As you can see, it looks like little dried bread slices. That’s because essentially that’s what they are, except without the yeast and such.

Another kind of dried fu is kurumabu, wheel-shaped fu that are about the size of a doughnut. They are often used as meatless ‘steaks’ and such. I can’t find kurumabu at my local Japanese grocery store, but you may be able to at yours.

Here is a map of Japan showing different kinds of fu and where they come from (Japanese).

A meatless protein

100 grams of dried fu has 369 calories, almost no fat and 28 grams of protein. So like seitan, it’s a pretty good vegan protein. The only people for whom fu would not be suitable are those who are gluten intolerant. (Of course this applies to seitan as well.)

But what does it taste like?

On its own, dried fu is pretty tasteless. It’s like a soft sponge that absorbs any flavors you can throw at it. The texture when dry is like stale bread, and when reconstituted it’s soft and rather silky. If seitan has a texture a little like chicken, I’d say that fu, especially komachibu, is a bit like scallops.

How to use dried fu

The easiest way to use dried fu is to just throw some into a soup or stew. You may have already encountered them in miso soups. You don’t have to limit it to miso soup though. Put some into a hearty vegetable soup, simmer briefly, and you have a fairly nutritionally complete meal. The komachibu and chikuwabu will taste like fluffy soft quenelles; the shounaibu is just a bit more dense in texture.

You can put them in in the last few minutes into a stew as well, meatless or not. If you simmer it for too long, it will start to disintegrate. (Shounaibu is more sturdy, since it’s thinly stretched and folded.)

A slightly more advanced way is to reconsitute it first in plain water, then to stew it and so on. Fu is such a popular ingredient in sukiyaki that some people called dried fu sukiyakibu. Do remember though that the reconstituted sponge has no flavor, so you’ll have to add it in by cooking it in a bit of soup or broth or sauce first.

Modern cookbooks have devised other ways of using dried fu; for example, Yumiko Kano, a cookbook author I’ve mentioned here several times before, uses komachibu as a base for mini-canapes. I haven’t tried this myself yet but it’s an intriguing idea.

As a first step though, try adding a few to a soup and see how it goes!

(And here’s a panfried komachibu recipe over on Just Bento.)

Sidenote

Although fu is a very commonly available product, seitan is virtually unknown outside of macrobiotic circles in Japan. I actually didn’t even know it had Japanese origins - I thought it came from somewhere in southeast Asia, like tempeh! It’s ironic that seitan is much better known outside of Japan - maybe because it’s used in things like Tofukey.

Zakkokumai: Rice with seeds and grains and bits

maki — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:19:29 +0100

[Update:] There seems to be some confusion about how zakkokumai is cooked and looks like, so I’ve added some more photos and such.

Rice is such an integral part of a Japanese meal, that the word for ‘meal’ (gohan, ご飯) also means rice. White rice is the norm, both for taste and for various cultural reasons. But as you probably know, white rice (hakumai, 白米） is rice that has been stripped of most of its nutrients, leaving just the starch.

Brown rice (genmai) is the obvious healthier alternative. But brown rice can take some time to cook, what with the soaking and so on that’s needed, and some people simply don’t like the taste or texture.

In recent years, something called zakkokumai (雑穀米）has become increasingly popular in Japan. Zakkoku just means “mixed grains”, and mai is rice. Another name for essentially the same thing is kokumotsu gohan （穀物ご飯）. It’s rice that has a small amount of various grains and seeds mixed into it prior to cooking. You can then cook the rice in a rice cooker in the normal way. The grains and seeds add a mix of nutrients and fiber, and a little flavor too.

Zakkoku or kokumotsu mixes are sold in convenient packets. Here are two kinds; each pack is meant to be used for 2 to 3 cups (rice cooker cups) of white rice. You simply throw in the contents after you’ve washed the rice and put in the water for cooking.

The light colored one contains sprouted brown rice, pressed barley, hatomugi (Job’s Tears), millet (uruchi hie), and white sesame seeds. The package touts the fact that the whiteness of the rice is maintained, even after you mix in the zakkoku.

The second one has black beans (kuromame), azuki beans, mung beans, pressed barley, black rice (kokumai), another kind of millet (mochikibi), yet another kind of millet (mochi hie) and amaranth. It colors the rice when cooked a slight reddish-purple.

The good news is, these zakkoku packs are now more available outside of Japan. I’ve seen one kind at my local Japanese grocery, Nishi’s, and and Japan Centre carries them too (link to the ‘white’ kind, and another kind here.) The bad news is that for those of us buying these kinds of things overseas, they are pretty expensive.

If you’re interested in trying out zakkoku-mai, look for these convenient packs at your favorite Japanese grocery store. If you can’t find them though, try making your own mix of various grains and seeds, and add about a tablespoon per cup of rice.

Here’s a mix that I can easily assemble with ingredients from a regular supermarket and health food store:

Black beans
Azuki beans (but beans may need to be pre-soaked)
Lentils
Millet
Quinoa
Barley
Sesame seeds
Steel cut oats
Amaranth

At the very least, it’s an interesting alternative to brown rice.

(A sidenote: I’m always reluctant to talk about Japanese ingredients unless it’s actually available outside of Japan. Zakkoku-mai mixes weren’t available until fairly recently, but now they are, so here they are.)

Update: Cooking zakkokumai, with photos

To clarify some confusion about exactly how a zakkoku-mai mix work, here are some photos of it being cooked.

After washing 2 rice-cooker cups of rice, I added a packet of zakkokumai mix (this is the one with beans and things in it, described above) to the rice cooker with the water. There are about 2 tablespoons of mix in a packet.

Here’s how it looks after it’s been cooked. I used the regular white rice setting, not brown rice or anything else! The mix is sort of clumped up in one corner, so I fluff up the rice to distribute things evenly.

Here’s how a bowl of cooked zakkokumai looks like. This mix puts a reddish color cast on the rice because it contains azuki beans and black rice, but the ‘white’ kind of mix puts no color on the rice.

You may not care what color your rice is. But it may matter a lot if you happen to have older Japanese people to feed, who may have an aversion to any kind of rice that isn’t white. (My stepfather is like that, and to a lesser extent my father too. It all has to do with the era in which they grew up, when white rice was highly desirable and any deviation from it brought back bad memories of rationing and food shortages during and after the war, when things like millet were used as rice substitutes. Ironic that now these formerly undesirable rice substitutes are seen as health foods!)

Here’s how the cooked rice looks close up.

It doesn’t taste significantly different from plain white rice, though there is some texture interest. There’s no need to devise special meals to eat it with either. We actually at this rice last night with curry.

In any case I hope the photos make the use of zakkokumai a bit clearer.

Japanese grocery stores in Germany

maki — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:35:59 +0100

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

Updated March 24, 2008.

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 this article which described Düsseldorf as “Little Tokyo on the Rhine”, especially around Immermannstrasse.

Bakery My Heart: Marienstr. 26; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 5504760; Japanese-style baked goods and sweets. Has a cafe where you can eat the goodies on the spot.

Bakery Taka: Immermannstr.36; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 350374; Japanese-style baked goods and sweets. Has a cafe where you can eat the goodies on the spot.

Dae-Yang Asiatische Lebensmittel: Immermannstr. 21; 40210 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 357227; Asian market.

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

Morozumi: Am Heerdter Hof 26A; 40549 Duesseldorf; TEL: 0211 5048661

Maruyasu: Several locations; Annoying Flash only site in German; A Japanese deli. Bento boxes and sushi etc. to go. Also does catering.

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

Shochiku Im-Export GmbH: Immermannstr. 15, 40210 Duesseldorf; Tel: 0211 365959

Frankfurt

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

Himawari Handel: Niederurseler Landstr. 164; 60439 Frankfurt/M; Tel: 069 57001756; Japanese web site

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.

Japanese grocery stores in France

maki — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:09:12 +0100

General France notes:

Many of the large supermarkets, especially in and around the big cities, carry a small selection of Japanese ingredients.

Paristore is an Asian supermarket chain with stores in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

Avignon

Asia: 29 avenue Monclar; 84000 Avignon; 04 32 76 32 80; Comments: “An asian store, but with some japanese supplies.” -(Céline)

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)

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, Kimchi and Japan store sell a better quality of japanese products (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)

Kazuki: 35, cours Gambetta 69003 Lyon (Métro Saxe Gambetta-Ligne B ou D); 04-78-60-75-04; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday　９：３0〜１３：00，１４：３０〜１９:00; Sunday and Holidays　９：３０〜１２：00. Closed on 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)

Japon Store: 103, rue Ney - 69006 Lyon (Métro Part Dieu-Ligne B ou D); 04-78-24-63-93; Comments: “Another store with mainly Japanese products, some foodstuff, especially utensils and crockery.” -(Céline); A page in French with a comment from the owner

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); 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); Also has stores in Paris (13eme), Toulouse.

Marseille

Paristore: 61 boulevard Plombière; Marseille; Groceries, a Chinese and a Japanese ‘all you can eat’ buffets (omg and they say French Women Don’t Get Fat), housewares, etc.

Paris and environs

Most people seem to shop for Asian groceries in the Chinatown area, which is in the 13th arrondissement.

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.

Kyôko: 46 rue des Petits Champs (Paris 2); Japanese epicerie; Japanese bloggers living in Paris say they like to shop here for things that aren’t available at the big Asian stores in the 13ème.

Jujiya: 48 rue Sainte Anne (Paris 1); Japanese epicerie

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.)

Strasbourg

Paris Store: 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!

Japanese grocery stores in the UK and Ireland

maki — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:56:14 +0100

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: 212-213 Piccadilly; London W1J 9HX; Tel: 020-7434-4218 Fax: 020-7287-1082; English and Japanese web site; e-mail: foodshop [at] japancentre [dot] com; Comments: “They have just expanded their grocery section by opening up a department next to the original premises. Prepared food and bento is available from the Toku restaurant. Also of note now is a fantastic range of cooking and tableware priced at 1.50GBP - like a very high-class ¥100 store.”-(Loretta); They have a cooperation with Daiso, a 100yen store chain; Within the Japan Centre is
Yoshino Sushi: Tel: 020-7434-3610 Fax: 020-7439-2979; e-mail: yoshino [at] yoshino [dot] net; Comments: “A dependable source for sushi and sashimi grade fish you can prepare yourself.” -(Loretta)

Oriental City: 399 Edgware Road; London, NW9 0JJ; Withiin Oriental City are:
J-mart: 020-8205-3988
Oriental City Supermarket: 020-8200-0009; Several people have mentioned Oriental City. This is a shopping mall anchored by an Asian supermarket. It was formerly a Yaohan Plaza, as were the Mitsuwa stores in the U.S. The future of Oriental City seems uncertain after May 2008.; Comments: “This started its life as the Yaohan Plaza and was once an AMAZING place to shop for Japanese food products. The Yaohan company collapsed but the supermarket still stocks Japanese produce (just not nearly as many as before), as well as those from other Asian countries. Although this remains a good place for Japanese groceries and the complex features shops where both cheap and not so cheap cooking and table items can be purchased, the future of Oriental City is very uncertain - there is no guarantee that it will exist at all after May 2008. This is why I did not mention it (I’ve shopped here periodically for the past 15 years or so)” -(Loretta); “I have been to the above shops and can vouch for them- the bad news however is that the idiots who own the land that oriental city is on are planning on knocking it down and building a homebase (DIY shop that every town has- not interesting in the least!) so after may this year it’s future is uncertain see Wikipedia entry. But if you can manage a visit before it closes it is SO worth it. Best Oriental place in london. Japan Centre is good but the two places I mentioned in Oriental City mall are brilliant.” -(Katherine)

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!)

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

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

maki — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:12:09 +0100

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 fairly big expat commmunity. The main areas where they live are in some suburbs of Westchester and Northen New Jersey, in lower Manhattan, 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.

This page is still rather undone. In the meantime please see this post which reviews some NYC area groceries.

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; An Asian 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 locations in the NYC area.

New York City

Brooklyn

Bronx

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. The main hangout for the younger Japanese crowd is the East Village, where you can find even cheaper Japanese meals.

Asahiya Bookstore: 360 Madison Ave. (Midtown East); New York, NY 10017; Tel: 212-883-0011 Fax: 212-883-1011; Japanese web site; Ok this is a bookstore, so not edible. But of course you want Japanese cookbooks and such…Usually not as crowded as Kinokuniya.

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); Asian grocery store.

Beard Papa: Astor Place (NYU/East Village); 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); New York, NY 10014; (212) 255-4675

Book Off: 14 East 41st Street (Midtown East); New York, NY 10017; 10:00 - 20:00 7 days; Tel. 212-685-1410; English part of the site; New York branch of a Japanese used bookstore chain.

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 (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.; also at; 34 E. 23rd St. (bet. Park and Madison Aves., Flatiron/Grammercy); Tel: 212-387-8882; 9:00am〜9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 9:00am〜10:00pm (Sat and Sun); also at; 2847 Broadway (bet. 110th and 111th Sts., Upper West Side); Tel: 212-866-4780; 10:00am〜10:00pm (7 Days); 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.

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. Besides books stocks giftwares and the like.

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.

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.

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)

Tongin Market: 91 Mulberry St. (bet. Walker & Bayard Sts., Civic Center area); Tel: 212-962-6622; 9:00am〜8:00pm (7 Days); Grocieries, gifts and sundries, medicines; takeout sushi; Comments: “A nifty place to shop for packaged and frozen foods, as well as 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 Market: 29-15 Broadway, Astoria (Queens); Tel: 718-956-7925; 10:00am- 1:00am (7 Days); Fresh and packaged foods, some housewares, video rentals

Long Island

Nara Japanese Foods: 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 typical Japanese grocery store. The store is cramped but impeccable. Food including fresh fish and meat, housewares, video rentals.(maki)

Shin Nippon-Do Corp: 63 Mineola Ave.; Roslyn Heights, NY (Nassau County, North Shore); Tel: 516-625-1814; 9:30am〜6:30pm (Tue - Fri), 9:30am〜7:00pm (Sat) / 9:30am〜6:00pm (Sun), Closed on Mondays; Another typical Japanese grocery store. A bit bigger and a bit better selection than Nara.

Westchester/Rockland Counties

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 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; Mini-chain with stores in White Plains NY, Fort Lee NJ, 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.)

Connecticut

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 (bookstore etc - tenants change to change rather frequently.) Maki’s 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: 1385 16th Street (south of I-95, one block from police department); Fort Lee, NJ 07024; Tel: 201-944-0020; 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. 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.)