Chriselle 158 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 After coming back from two weeks in Canada I had to go shopping to restock the fridge. Is it just me ... or do you guys ( and gals) get really depressed grocery shopping in Japan?? I have such a blast in the supermarkets back home.....hundreds of kinds of cheeses, breads of every grain, fruits and veggies up the ying-yang, all the bulk food bins..nuts, dried fruits etc.. , the meats...oh the meats!! The deli.....what a selection. I counted 14 different kinds of hummus. Then back to Japan....you can imagine my disposition yesterday while perusing the fine selection of quality breads, plethora of exotic cheeses, mountains of fresh fruits and veggies and the meats...oh the meats Just food for thought. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Absolutely. One of the reasons that a few of us 'go a bit overboard' with it all when back in home countries! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Feel exactly the same. We have some fairly large supermarkets here now, but still it's inaka so less choice than the cities even. Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Yes I just tend to go a bit wild the first week or so of being home. Chriselle, you need to refer to the "Jogging" thread and perhaps the "Gambarimasho" thread.... Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 After coming back from two weeks in Canada I had to go shopping to restock the fridge. Is it just me ... or do you guys ( and gals) get really depressed grocery shopping in Japan?? I have such a blast in the supermarkets back home.....hundreds of kinds of cheeses, breads of every grain, fruits and veggies up the ying-yang, all the bulk food bins..nuts, dried fruits etc.. , the meats...oh the meats!! The deli.....what a selection. I counted 14 different kinds of hummus. Then back to Japan....you can imagine my disposition yesterday while perusing the fine selection of quality breads, plethora of exotic cheeses, mountains of fresh fruits and veggies and the meats...oh the meats Just food for thought. Bloody great isn't it. Having said that, I'd probably have more trouble keeping in tip top shape with all those temptations constantly on offer! Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 To be fair, choice here has improved over the years. Slowly, of course. Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Feel exactly the same. Having said that I do love the food here and eating out too. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 After coming back from two weeks in Canada I had to go shopping to restock the fridge. Is it just me ... or do you guys ( and gals) get really depressed grocery shopping in Japan?? I have such a blast in the supermarkets back home.....hundreds of kinds of cheeses, breads of every grain, fruits and veggies up the ying-yang, all the bulk food bins..nuts, dried fruits etc.. , the meats...oh the meats!! The deli.....what a selection. I counted 14 different kinds of hummus. Then back to Japan....you can imagine my disposition yesterday while perusing the fine selection of quality breads, plethora of exotic cheeses, mountains of fresh fruits and veggies and the meats...oh the meats Just food for thought. Bloody great isn't it. Having said that, I'd probably have more trouble keeping in tip top shape with all those temptations constantly on offer! There is that. Canadians are getting pretty damned fat. The first few days I did go nuts but after that I didn't really eat much different than I do here. It's not so much that I need all that stuff but it would be nice to have to option to indulge once in a while. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Yeah, apart from the sushi selection, I couldn't agree more. & I'm not even going to mention prices !! Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 definitely like that. After about 2 weeks, I'm feeling 'slightly' larger and somewhat done with stuffing my face. Though I enjoy my meals, I'm not snacking as much. Will be ready to take a break from it soon, as great as it is. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I always put on a fair bit when I go back. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Got to say though that I do actually enjoy having a few things that I can only get back there. It's one of the fun things of going back. But it would be great to have more choice in shops around here for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 That's a good way to look at it Muika. Another part of the whole anticipation of going back. And really,,, we do have a Costco within a few hours drive up in Kanagawa to go stock up on meats, cheeses and so on. So, I guess it's not that bad. Now I need a little help to find something positive about this humidity.......especially when the past 4 summers in Victoria have been absolutely PERFECT. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I really like food shopping on holidays outside Japan. Another reason why we normally prefer to stay somewhere with a kitchen than a regular hotel. Link to post Share on other sites
tokabochi 9 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 A drive to Kanagawa would be probably 4 hours for us here. .. A long and expensive trip! Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 According to this there's one in Maebashi. That must be closer, right? http://www.costco.co.jp/eng/real.htm Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Certainly is! Anyone been there? Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'm afraid not. I think it's 4200 yen a year if you want to join. Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Got to say though that I do actually enjoy having a few things that I can only get back there. It's one of the fun things of going back. But it would be great to have more choice in shops around here for sure. It is a good point. There seems to be less and less that I can't get easily here now, so having a few things to look forward to can't be a bad thing. If we can live without them of course. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 How big is the one in Kanagawa? Do they just have tons and tons of things I'd want to grab my hands on (as a Brit/US/Aussie)? Would love to go and just check it out once and then decide if I want to join! Link to post Share on other sites
frannyo 2 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I thought you had to be 'in the business' to join... Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 No...you just pay for the membership. We're not members because my wife always goes with her friends and one of them has a membership. Muika... They are big warehouses like back home but they are localized with a lot of the stuff they carry. You can get huge juggs of shoyu for example. I buy lots of frozen fruits as I like smoothies in the morning. Meats are great, Massive pizzas, some breads but not great, lots of bricks of cheeses, appliances, tools..etc. Also, each store is slightly different in the products they carry. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I've gained 2.5 kilos in the 10 days I've been home. I definitely went totally overboard the first few days I was here. Only a couple more days to go now before I'm back in Nihon. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Costco is one of those places that sounds great but has two inherent problems: 1) its easy to spend way much more than your budget and 2) you will get fat after gorging yourself on all the great food it has. There is another wholesaler called Metro that you need to be in the food industry to join. There is a branch about 10mins from our house alas we can't join though. And back on topic - like you Chriselle,I love grocery shopping,perhaps the only shopping I enjoy and being back in the UK and seeing supermarkets there and in Australia depressed me as the only places that comes close are Seijo Ishii or Queen's Isetan but everything is overpriced. However, am grateful for The Meat Guy. He does have some great stuff in stock. Link to post Share on other sites
peterson 0 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Good points made there for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts