How hard is it finding food around New Years

We've stayed in a few 'central' ie inside the Yamanote line places in Tokyo and I don't remember ever seeing what I would recognise as a supermarket.

Around Ginza, and all the big hubs in central Tokyo, we tend to buy grocery items from either the convenience store or the basement levels of department stores. There might be some markets around in some areas, like the former Tsukiji Markets and Ueno, and if I was there I would buy from there.

@ Fureg, just type in �gsupermarket �g on google maps in the area you are searching and in Tokyo there wil be plenty everywhere.
Yes, in an area like Ginza and Tokyo station where few people live it will be a bit less. But not even close to 0.

Thank you, Who? and LikeBike.

@LikeBike I swear it's not showing almost nothing to me this way. But just occurred to me that it can be because of my current location, Next time I'll try it using VPN. Thanks!

There are supermarkets inside some train stations - Shinjuku springs to mind. But for the inner city, supermarkets tend not to be immediately next to transport hubs or in retail shopping zones, but a bit further away. Seijo Ishii is one brand and there are a Maruetsu Petit around as well (I see lots in Shinjuku). Over in Ginza, check out Hamamasa (it is a discount chain). I also note locations of the other two brands I mentioned. Another option are the food floors in department stores - huge variety, but not an ordinary supermarket where you pick up stuff like laundry supplies, fresh/frozen veges and packs of meat to cook at home. A quick google map search reveals them.
The locations many tourists confine themselves to are simply not the places residents go food shopping.

How about "grocery store"?

https://www.google.com/maps/search/grocery+store/@35.6812362,139.76454...

There seems to be many. They are small and somewhat expensive places though.

@JapanCustomTours
Thank you so much!

@frog1954
I admit I don't recall searching this way – duh! It seems to work pretty good, thank you! You're right about the expensive places as well.

Just as a comment about "expensive" grocery stores, I have observed that places in Shinjuku (as an example) have much higher prices than stores in further out cities and suburbs, especially for fresh produce. Partly the cost of rent and other business inputs, partly because they can charge more. The difference in some items when I was paying attention last year was double in some cases.
Hamamasa is a discount chain, they have a lot of cheap stuff. Another option is a Mega DonKi as their food/grocery items are well priced.
Another item while thinking about not seeing supermarkets is that they can be in unusual places. One of the Yodobashi stores I often visit has a super market in the 2nd basement floor (B2) - I had been going to that shop five years before I discovered it.

@JapanCustomTours
Valuable advice. Are you noticing inflation in daily life? Last trip I was very impressed because though the prices aren't the same as before (but it was a span of 5 years, so...), everything was cheaper than in my homeland. Everything.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/10/18/discount-supermarket-...

@Fureg - daily inflation? Yes. But it often has more to do with the very low food security of Japan and the weak yen. Japan imports roughly 70% of all its food, so that has a big impact when buying stuff from the US as the dollar has gone from 110 to 150 since the beginning of 2022. Some of the change is also due to changes in tax rates (my favourite chuhi has had two increases in the last year - one from inflation, the other due to tax changes).
The other influence is supply/demand and seasonality. Some items doubled in price due to shortages (like eggs), but are now heading back down in price.
A little off topic, but where I see price increases most is in hotel rates. Not sure if some properties are just trying to recover covid losses or if demand is so high they can get away with hiking rates 20% (or more). Not all, but enough. Makes getting a decent room in a good location a lot more expensive for casual travelers. Things like travelling around the country (trains) the prices are regulated and have not changed much.

Just passing by to register that finding food around New Years in Tokyo was easier than I thought. Yes, some places were closed for a few days. Also, I didn't try to go to the fanciest restaurants neither look for those hyped social media tips. But I did eat really, really well (as usual in Japan) and I saw the same omotenashi I'd experienced before. No special crowds, no bad mood, no long walks while starving. :)

On the supermarkets topic, fortunately I've found some of them near the places I stayed, it was easy as well. In Ginza there was just a few of them but I went two or three times to the OK store at Marronnier Gate Ginza 2 and I liked it. Maruetsu Odaiba was great, by the way.

Thanks for your feedback :)