Western foods
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By Jane Fujimura on Wednesday, December 5, 2001 - 11:18 am: Anyone know where to find good cheap cheese in tokyo?
By Cornelia on Wednesday, December 5, 2001 - 11:37 am:Well, cheap is not to be found. But the prices do not have to be too bad. Domestic cheeses are not necessarily cheaper than imports and of course are very low in variety. The big department stores have imported food shops in the basements which are actually very competitive and often run specials. Foreign Buyers Club out of Kobe has cheeses available through their Corner Store Deli from all Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. http://www.fbcusa.com Also the shopping street along the Yamanote train tracks (inside) between Ueno and Okachimachi offers some good prices on imports. There is one shop that sells a brick of processed cheese for a good price. The Farm Grill in Shimbashi used to sell cheese but stopped, however the Hanamasa grocery store underneath on the first floor still sells a limited selection. Can't think of any more. For the decent stuff try the basements of the big "depatos" (Seibu, Tokyu, Matsuzakaya, etc.). They beat Kinukuniya in Omotesando price-wise quite often. Also, I've noticed that for some reason import items seem to go hand in hand with liquor here in Japan. So try liquor shops!
By Nathalie on Thursday, December 6, 2001 - 11:21 am:You can find cheese in most supermarkets which sell import food, like National Azabu in Hiroo (03-3442-3181 Hrs: 9:30-19:00), Nissin in Azabu Juban, Hanamasa supermarkets, Kinokuniya near Omotesando (03-3409-1231 Hrs: 9:30-20:00, they sometimes have good sales). There is a specialized shop with a great selection of French cheese called Valencay (not cheap) on Meiji Dori, very close to Omotesando. They also have a restaurant. Carrefour in Makuhari also has a great selection of French cheese, not cheap either.
By Cornelia on Wednesday, February 6, 2002 - 3:15 pm:I found a great selection of cheese in the Yaesu underground shopping area at Tokyo station! They also have "specials" like buy two at a slight discount. Seijou Ishi Supermarket -- Yaesu Branch tel: 03-3217-1230 hours: 9:30 - 21:30 They also carry a lot of salsa, taco shells and stuff by Old El Paso. Not real easy to find the first time, but it is right next to a TCBY (The Country's Best Yoghurt) frozen yoghurt shop. You have to be on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station (East side).
By Cornelia on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 11:55 pm:The Hanamasa stores seem to have just mushroomed all over the place in the last half a year! I can't really say they are that great for cheese, but they sure have a huge selection of meat, very useful if you have a freezer. They also have a thing going on with wine now. I used to know only one location at Shimbashi: 8-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Tel: 03-3571-1571, Hours: 9:00-22:00 But now I've got one just down the street: 5-37-1 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; Tel: 03-5842-8703 Open 24 hours! Their logo looks like this though they also use a black on yellow color combination: I'm hunting for their web site which my local store's staff thinks exists but couldn't find even though they spent about 15 minutes looking for it. There is also one at Ikebukuro station -- on the Seibu side you head towards Mejiro station down Meiji dori. It's about 8 minutes on the left side after you pass "Azuma" dori at 3-9-5 Minami Ikebukuro, Tel: 03-5951-2941 By Admin, April 25, 2003: Spotted another Hanamasa store at 7-7-14 Sendagi on Shinobazu-dori not far inside the Yamanote line from Nishi Nippori station if you are empty-handed. A bit far if you are loaded down. tel: 03-3824-6100
By Karen on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 3:13 pm:Just found out yesterday that National Azabu Grocery store will deliver for free all over central Tokyo (minimum order is Y10 000). If you live outside the area (like I do), they will takyubin (courier) the goods to you. The charge is still VERY cheap. Only 1500 yen for 25 KG!! I bought 20 litres of juice on sale for 120 yen a litre and stocked up on loads of other good buys that I'll eventually use up. Cheese is cheap there too (89 yen per 100 grams for New Zealand cheddar). I hate lugging the heavy stuff home from the market. The number for ordering is (03)3442 3186 and the fax number is: (03)3442 3709. Karen By Karen on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 03:15 pm: Cornelia, How would I get to that Hanamasa store from the Yamanote Line (Otsuka station)? Karen By Karen on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 03:17 pm: Oops, I forgot to mention that I found another cheese store called "Cheese Club" very close to Hiroo Station, exit #3 (in the Meidya Building). Prices are exorbitant though.
By Cornelia on Saturday, February 16, 2002 - 8:26 am:Bus #60 from south side of Otsuka station would get you there (5th or 6th stop -- I'll try to check it at some point). #60 leaves from in front of the Yoshinoya so turn left out of the station, cross the streetcar tracks and cross the street. But why not come over for a visit to my place and we can go by bike (I have 2 bicycles). Natalie B. just sent me the URL (Japanese only): http://www.hanamasa.co.jp I am willing to bet that there is one not too far from you if you can only get someone to read their list of addresses. Head office: 03(5628)8700 1-28-6 Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo email: hana@hanamasa.co.jp
By Cornelia on Friday, June 21, 2002 - 2:00 pm:Details on Nissin World Delicatessen Nissin World Delicatessen 2-34-1 Higashi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044 tel: 03-3583-4586 http://www.nissinham.co.jp/nwd/nwd_03a.html According to their website they have a special market from 6:30 - 8:30 with everything except beer 15% off (cash only and no delivery). someone wrote to me privately: "it is near the American Club and has cheaper meat and produce than National or Kinokuniya and is also a nice store with big aisles and parking..." so I thought I'd find the details and post them here.
By Cornelia on Thursday, July 25, 2002 - 1:37 am:June 2002 -- Mr. Frank Lazarus of Costco wrote: "Your membership card is accepted at all locations worldwide. If you are going to reside in Japan for a long period of time, it might be advisable to transfer your membership to a Japan location to avoid any problems in the renewal of your membership. There are currently locations in Hisayama, a suburb of Fukuoka in Kyushu, and a location in Makuhari a suburb of Tokyo, between Tokyo and Narita airport. We are currently building our third location in Tamasakai which is also a suburb of Tokyo, and will start construction soon on a location in Amagasaki, a community near Osaka." ------------------------- website: www.costco.com shows all international locations. There is no Japanese website at this time. Address in Tamasakai: 2148-1 Oyama-machi, Machida City, Tokyo 194-0212 Tel: 042-798-6001 Address in Makuhari: 1-4 Toyosuna Mihama-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba 261-0024 Tel: 043-213-4111 Address in Fukuoka: Torius Value Centre 1152-1 Aza-Takayanagi, Oaza-Yamada, Hisayama-cho, Kasuya-gun, Fukuoka 811-2502 Tel: 092-931-9092 Also in Hyogo, Amagasaki. Tel: 06-6496-1600 I've heard that there is a new COSTCO being build near Yokohama.
By Karen on Friday, July 26, 2002 - 5:10 pm: Sawako, There's quite a few international food stores in Tokyo. Most of them are in south Tokyo, near the Hiro-o, Roppongi, Minami Azabu area in Minato-ku. However, there are stores that carry Western foods dotted all over the city, from Ueno to Yotsuya to Shinjuku. Do you know the area of Tokyo that you will be living in? What I do is buy all my basics like fruit and veggies and tofu in my neighbourhood and then I buy the 'extras' like mixes and spices and taco shells at the international food stores. I don't know of a list of American food stores but there's quite a few good ones mentioned earlier in this discussion. Hanamasa is my current favourite. I can't get over how cheap their meat and pasta is!
By Caroline Lee Takamune on Sunday, September 22, 2002 - 9:17 am:Hi, I'm new to this forum. I would like to know where I can buy Cheerios. I live in the Shimokitazawa area but they are not sold in local supermarkets here. Thanks for any info !
By Scott Hancock on Sunday, September 22, 2002 - 10:30 am:Hello Caroline - Cheerios are not sold in Japan as far as I know. Although I haven't checked at COSTCO, you can order them delivered to your door from Foreign Buyers' Club. www.fbcusa.com And thousands of other products you might miss, as well. Scott
By Cornelia on Wednesday, November 6, 2002 - 9:43 am:German sausages and "Leberkaese". Lots of supermarkets have sort of German sausages for sale, but this was the first time I saw Leberkaese. They also have a sausage made with squid ink (which I never saw in Germany). Sort of a Japanese creation maybe? Da Da Cha Hours 10:00 - 20:00 Closed Wednedsays. 3-10-5 Oyamadai, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-0086 tel: 03-5707-2755, fax: 03-5707-2878 Not far from Oyamadai station on the Oimachi line. email dadacha@dream.com http://plaza4.mbn.or.jp/~dadacha The fellow selling speaks English (but not German). Map Outside of shop Inside of shop There are pictures and prices of all the products on the website, but it's in Japanese.
By Lea Watson on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 6:40 am:I just had a pleasant experience with an on-line company called "CostCost21". You can find them at http://costcost21.com/ They'll go to Costco for you, pick up the items you want, package it all together and send it takkyubin. You pay the takkyubin with either credit card or cash. Most of the prices are about Y100-Y200 more than the Costco price but for me the shopping experience was cheaper than taking a trip to the actual Costco store. A trip to Costco is about Y2500 in train fare, Y1500 in delivery, Y1000 for lunch, plus my Costco card has expired which would add another Y4000. As well, it eats up almost the entire day so I didn't mind paying the little bit extra. Some of CostCost's items are priced over-the-moon like fabric softener at Y2600 but for the most part I didn't think they were unreasonable. The on-line shopping cart is all in Japanese but pretty self-explanatory. The owner has a really good command of English. He helped me a lot! Only one word of warning...it's coming from Fukuoka so you may want to be careful of any bakery goods you buy. My order left Fukuoka on Wednesday and didn't arrive until Friday morning. Lea Watson By Lea Watson on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 10:08 am: after posting the above CostCost information, someone pointed me to http://www.theflyingpig.com which has much better prices and a site that is in English. Sorry! Lea Watson www.scooterwally.com
By Admin on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 12:23 pm:Kinokuniya International (Aoyama Store) will close end of March 2004 and open their temporary location about 2 weeks later. See more info at: http://www.e-kinokuniya.com/cont/tp/info-e.html The new location will be at: Kinokuniya "The International" (Aoyama Store) Ao Building B1 Floor 3-11-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo tel: 03-3409-1231 Web site in Japanese: http://www.e-kinokuniya.com/
By Shakiba Khan on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 7:06 pm:Hi all. Does anyone have any idea where can I find Nestle Dessert Cream which usually use with canned fruits or ideal for making dips. Thanks.
By Dianne Suzuki on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 12:29 am:AUSSIE FOOD. Yay for FBC. Please pass this information on to anyone you know may be interested. 'Twisties, Barbeque Shapes, Mint Slice, Nutra grain, Uncle Toby's Muesli bars, and thousands of other Australian items direct to your door from The Foreign Buyers' Club (FBC). Be a part of our 'Aussie Shop' trial starting in October!! Email: mail@fbcusa.com to register your interest.
By Cornelia on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 7:04 am:Hi Shakiba, I'm not sure what Nestle Dessert Cream is. We use sweetened condensed milk in the USA and they have it here (made in Hokkaido) and it is called: "milk jam". I think it is marketed as a spread to put on your morning toast or bun. Could this be what you are looking for? If so, the brand name that I have in my fridge (though I'm sure there are other brands) is Shinmura Farm. They have a web site and an email address listed on the jar in case you need to find a local retailer that carries it: http://www.netbeet.ne.jp/~ushi/ or http://www.milkjam.com/ and ushi@www.netbeet.ne.jp. Also maybe Natalia up near Sapporo could help in finding this stuff. She's involved promoting Hokkaido's agro-business and is fluent in Japanese. (You'd find her on this list somewhere with an author key word search).
By Joy Grace Salcedo on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 10:03 am: Hi Shakiba, I know the nestle cream that you are looking for I don't know if you any Filipino shop near your area, we normally use the cream when me make a fruit salad, there is one big store in Kinscho and we buy from there and they sell lots of it. I hope this could be of help.
By Mina on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 2:23 pm: which yogurt available in the local supermarket have active and live cultures? I am looking for low sugar , unflavored ones. Please let me know how to say the names in Japanese so that I can check at my local market. On another note is Yakult a fermented drink? What is it made from ?
By Paula Hansen on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 12:50 pm: I've got a severe preggy craving happening here and thought someone could help me out. I NEED a nice juicy Steak & Cheese Pie with a nice rich gravy. I would make one but can't find the right ingredients where I live. Do you know of where I could buy one in Tokyo or one of those food delivery companies within Japan?
By Alexandra Roberts-Judd on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 6:15 pm:Now that it is a serious craving. I've not seen them available here, but I know the Foreign Food Buyers Club is going to pilot an Aussie catalogue next month and pies just may be on the list. They have a British catalogue already available, and again pies may be on it. I haven't seen it, does anyone know for sure? Alternatively I make pies using New Zealand pastry and all other ingredients that are available at National Azabu in Hiroo and the Tokyu Food Store in Nakameguro. The right cut of meat is difficult to find so I use mince meat/ground beef instead of steak. Not quite the same but it makes my husband and kids happy. If you want directions to the stores email me at alexandra.j.roberts-judd@exxonmobil.com Good luck.
By Bethan Hutton on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 10:04 pm:Hi Paula, As a veggie I am not the expert on steak pies, but I did notice last time I was at Costco that they had several kinds of imported Aussie meat pies in the frozen food cabinets. This was Costco at Makuhari, but I think they have much the same stuff in all the branches. For details on Costco do a word search on this site and you'll find details on the branches near Tokyo. But probably by the time you got all the way out to a branch of Costco your craving would have moved on to something else... note from Admin: the COSTCO thread is at http://www.tokyowithkids.com/discussions/messages/333/1197.html
By Admin on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 11:33 pm:I'm moving the Pita bread thread over to Middle-Eastern foods at http://www.tokyowithkids.com/discussions/messages/333/577.html just because pita bread is already mentioned there as being sold frozen at Darya. (Deep down I think of Pita bread as having become pretty international, and not just Middle Eastern anymore...)
By Paula Hansen on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 11:37 am:Thanks for the tips for the pies, nothing at Costco that I could see but got hold of some NZ Pastry and gravy mix from Mum. DH made me a beautiful S&Ch Pie last week. Typing this up has made me want another now, LOL, as I got some great NZ Cheddar from Costco. Maybe we should start a new section called South Pacific Foods, haha. 2 weeks 2 go :o
By Jellund on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 12:35 pm:Paula - that sounds like a great idea :) I found, to get a very similar taste to the NZ gravy in their pies, I use bisto gravy granuals plus a pkt of mushroom soup mix plus a pkt of onion soup mix. Delicious!
By Admin on Friday, November 12, 2004 - 12:19 pm: Just in case you are a Foreign Buyer's Club Fan here is their November special: "FBC is drawing to give away a Walkers RICH FRUIT PUDDING to 10 people who order between Nov. 1st and Dec. 11th, plus FREE DELIVERY* for EVERYONE!" I'm not sure what the asterisk is about though.
By Trupti Gandhi on Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - 9:17 pm:i am looking for a christmas fruit cake soaked with rum... any idea where can i find one in tokyo? we were planning to go back home hence i did not start making it... and now i am too late to make it... it needs at least two months to make!! we get it in india (bombay) only if you place an order well in advance... any suggestion to truptigandhi[at]yahoo.com or here appreciated.
By Charmaine Minami on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 12:54 am:Hi Trupti, I make Christmas cakes similar to this to order, but mine are made with brandy, not rum! I have a couple still available, and a mini one I'm planning to donate for auction. Please conatact me! Charmaine Minami.
By Cornelia on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 3:50 pm:A friend (whom I met via this web site) introduced me to YaMaYa liquor stores. As most of us know, liquor stores in Japan are famous for having imported food sections. Well this store has a really great imported food section, with great prices to boot. I had just spent my two-weeks food budget on a new pair of eye-glasses at COSTCO but the items at YaMaYa were irresistable. Here is their website which has a limited English section: http://www.yamaya.jp/index.html The branch she took me to is at: 1-6-2 Kouji-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, tel: 3511-2501, fax: 03-3511-2501 I bought Thai yellow curry in pull tab top cans, 3 sorts of jams, Campbell chicken noodle soups (Y60 each), and some chocolate, etc., 14 items in all for Y2045! It was a bonanza. They have over 160 locations throughout Japan, 10 of them in Tokyo! The majority are in Miyagi Prefecture. Bethan, there is one in Kameido! Here are the two closest to my house which I have not visited yet: Ikebukuro-Nishi Shop 2-68-5 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0014 tel: 03-5950-1321 fax: 03-5979-6231 Ikebukuro-Higashi Shop 1-43-6 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013 (In Ikebukuro Stn. East Exit D-BOX Bldg., next to Bungeiza) tel: 03-3980-2977, 2979 fax: 03-3980-2960
By Jellund on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 4:19 pm: Yamaya is great! There is a large store that opened in 2004 behind Tokyu Plaza in Shibuya and Shinjuku has a good sized store about 7mins walk from South Exit. Take the south exit and turn right, go straight towards the hotel area and you will find it on the right, opposite the culture school down that way. The other good bargains at yamaya are the cheeses, juices and New Zealand hokey pokey ice cream!!
By Cornelia on Saturday, April 2, 2005 - 1:57 pm:Dear Paula and Jellund regarding pies... http://www.theflyingpig.com has this right now: Mrs. Peterson's Aussie Pies (Chicken in Sherry Sauce) [031890] Content: 9 x 184g Price: 1890 Yen http://www.TheFlyingPig.Com/Shop.asp?PR=267 I just got my first flyingpig order this morning and I am quite happy with the experience.
By Cornelia on Monday, May 9, 2005 - 6:55 pm:Regarding Cheerios (see post above from 2002 sep 2), there is a "look-alike" available through The Flying Pig: Nature's Path Organic Heritage-O's Cereal (12.5-oz boxes)[662212] Content: 3 x 354g Price:1,759 Yen HTTP://www.TheFlyingPig.Com/Shop.asp?PR=1594
By Elizabeth on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 11:50 am: I just found a new site www.themeatguy.jp that has great meta and pies...well from the looks of it. You can buy individual pies for about 330yen
By Linda Gondo on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 7:07 pm: Hey Elizabeth, What a great site. Thank you!
By andrea stills on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 10:05 am: I will soon be in Tokyo on holiday for a month and wondered if anyone knows the best place to shop in the Monzen-nakacho area? Is baby food easy to find and how expensive are vegetables?
By Admin on Thursday, June 28, 2007 - 10:44 pm:[Tokyo:] Here's a bakery with a really original name: Bakery (but in German, so it looks like this: Baecker. It's xcJ[ in katakana on the paper bag.) The've got Laugen Pretzeln, so they make it on to my list, even though they are quite out of the way for me. Near Iidabashi station in central Tokyo. Two locations. Kagurazaka branch: 6-8-30 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku tel: 03-3513-7866 Kitamachi branch: Dai Ni Building, 21 Kitamachi, Shinjuku-ku tel: 03-3268-2818 nearest subway: Ushigome Kagurazaka Station (Oedo line)
By Natasha on Sunday, December 4, 2011 - 10:06 am:The quality of the Japanese pumpkins and sweet potatoes is excellent for making your own pies! You can use regular whole milk instead of evaporated milk because the paste one gets is so thick. I just substitute into the following time-tested recipes. I also just skip the crust and pour my pumpkin/sweet potato mixtures straight into a greased glass pie dish or casserole dish. Saves on time and calories and tastes just as great! Pumpkin Pie http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/LIBBYS-Famous-Pumpkin-Pie/detail.aspx 12oz evaporated milk = 1.5 cups = 300ml Sweet Potato Pie http://www.meals.com/Recipes/Sweet-Potato-Pies.aspx?recipeid=105076
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