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supermarket in Japan 2014/7/4 15:29
hello and konnichiwa,
I was wandering about supermarket in japan since I'm planning to buy most of my meals there.
I will be staying in the following areas:
Shinjuku
takayama
Kyoto
Osaka (near shin-Osaka)
Hiroshima (near peace museum)
okayama
akihabara
does anyone knows maybe about supermarket in those areas?
also I remember the last time I've been to Hiroshima after I went to the peace park I ran coincidently in a huge supermarket but I cant remember where....


by Sigal  

Re: supermarket in Japan 2014/7/4 19:21
You can buy meals at Conbini(Convenience stores) as well as Onigiri(Rice ball), Sandwiches, hot snacks(hot dog etc) and coffee.
Visit especially 100 Yen Lawson, Piago and My Basket. They have mostly 100 Yen foods(some foods are more than 100 Yen). They are called Mini-Supermarket.
by tokyo friend 48 rate this post as useful

Re: supermarket in Japan 2014/7/4 21:32
Internet mapping sites keep getting better and better. If you go to Google Maps and zoom in on an area where you will be staying (but don't zoom in TOO closely), and then tell it to find Supermarkets, you can usually get at least some limited results, although some of the names of the stores will be in Japanese. If you use Google Maps (or other mapping sites) in Japanese you can do better. (Try searching on スーパー.) Other forum posters might have better suggestions for finding Japanese stores using English search.

Japanese people have to go to the grocery store, no matter where they live. In the large cities there are at least small supermarkets just about everywhere. In general, the farther you get from the most expensive real estate the larger and cheaper the stores will be, but even in Shinjuku there are some (expensive) supermarkets in the department store basements. A little farther into the residential areas and you will find more. For really huge supermarkets you will have to go to the suburbs, but if all you want is moderate (not bargain) prices and a reasonably good selection you should be able to find food stores in all of your locations. (No need to go to a huge supermarket, although the selection of items in those places is always really great. If you have to take transit to get there, you probably won't save any money in the long run.) Ask at your lodging when you check in, and they will probably be able to tell you.

Convenience stores do have a fair amount of basics and even some fresh fruits and vegetables plus a few things that can serve as a filling main course (fried chicken and stuff like that) if you want.

If you want to experiment with using Japanese, here is a list of supermarket chains in Tokyo:
http://www.jp-super.com/super-2tko.htm
The links take you to the corporate home pages where you can then use a store locator to find branches in specific areas. (Some of these are nationwide, others are just in the Tokyo area.)
by Uma (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: supermarket in Japan 2014/7/6 01:24
thank you so much guys, I'll try Google map as you suggested so I'm sure I won't starve lol
although I did wanted to ask which one is cheaper:
7eleven
familymart
Lawson
?
by Sigal rate this post as useful

Re: supermarket in Japan 2014/7/6 02:21
All the Combini's are very closely priced. Dont rule out the gyudon shops such as Yoshinoya or Sukiya and other fast food restaurants like Hanamaru Udon or Tenya tendon either. Their prices are not much more expensive than combini meals and they are very tasty. Oh I wish I could get them at home.
by Stan Norrell rate this post as useful

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