Where can I buy beet in Japan?

Hello there!

I wonder if anyone know where can I find beet in Japan? This is a must eat superfood and I cant find that in local japanese supermarket.

Please help!!! Thank you so much!

I don't think fresh beets are in season at the moment. Maybe try again next summer/fall.

If Tsukiji vege./fruit market (next to Tsukiji fish market) doesn't have it, you can mail order:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/vegipool/beetroot_g/#beetroot_g
Or canned beet at International markets in Azabu.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember supermarkets specializing in imported good, such as Kinokuniya or National Azabu, always selling fresh beets. Also, department stores might have them.

I used to make borscht in cold seasons and I remember being able to buy fresh beets in those places. I haven't made them for a while, though.

Thank you so much all.

Time for some Beet-ing~!

What is beet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beets

Oh, it's slang for beetroot.
Thank you!

Not slang, just the different regional English names (UK vs NA).

It's an abbreviation? Wiki said it was an informal term in USA, but if not slang, is it ok to use generally?

Is it used as a plural too or is beet ok as plural?

Beetroot is UK english, while beet(s) is typically US english. Hope that helps.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-terms

Thank you. Some new ones there in that link for me on both types. Which is more common spoke in Japan? American dialect or standard English. I mean which is taught in schools and words that are understood, your link show lot of different words. But people forum here understood beet, not beetroot so maybe Japanese speak more like american dialect because of invasion?

It's not necessarily because of the war. America has had more of a cultural influence for most of the last century, former British colonies not withstanding.

American English is what is usually taught in schools these days, so in most cases that would be the more understandable dialect.

The fact that people on this forum understand the word "beet" probably has little or nothing to do with the education here in Japan.

yllwsmrf is from the U.S., and as for myself, I learned what beet was when I lived in the U.S. as a very young girl. For a long time, I only knew canned ones, though. It was years after I returned to Japan and started cooking for myself that I saw my first fresh beet, and I think it was in Kinokuniya in the 80s.

The Japanese hardly eat real beet. I've seen dozens of borscht recepes in Japanese, and most of them just mention "aka-kabu" which can mean anything from beet to radishes, or it won't even mention anything of that kind. Most Japanese don't put beet in salads either.

That said, the reason American English is taught more nowadays (as opposed to the 70s) is probably because the U.S. is more influential in almost every way from culture, politics, business and immigration.

I would also say that American pronunciations and American literature are a bit more practical and easy to teach than British, probably because U.S. is a newer country. By the way, I'm one of the rare Japanese who was taught British English in Japanese junior high.

Beets are one of those things mainland Japanese don't eat. I think I have seen it only once in a morning market, but I forget where.

Another thing that is not popular is watercress. I have seen wild watercress growing in Japan (primarily in Kyushu it seems), have tasted it to verify, but it's a small bushy variety.

One place peole eat beets and watercress is Okinawa, which is probably why there is some in Kyushu. I don't know how the Okinawans eat beets, but in the road stop just below Camp Hansen, the farmers sell huge beets. The ones in the U.S. pale in comparison. They don't seem to preserve the greeny tops to eat though.

Oh? Watercress is a necessity in Japan for beef steaks and roast beef. It's even featured as a huge salad in Miyazaki's last movie "Kaze Tachinu."

Yea, watercress is a common seen as a garnish for "western style steaks" (my term). I see watercress way more than beets, although both are pretty rare in the regular supermarkets.