Has anyone used Radish Boya for home food delivery? I would really like to hear about their system and your experience? Radish Boya I think has a reputation of organic vegetables?
Their info is http://www.radishbo-ya.co.jp
Toll free tel: 0120-831-375
Fax: 048-421-2426

Hi Cornelia, I am also very much interested in RadishBoya. I called them up to know things in details. They delivered the catalogue and a few sample vegetable items at home. The vegetables are really nice and fresh and tastes good. The only thing which is stopping me from going for it is the price range.
Regards, Sraboni

Hi Cornelia,
I was just curious to know whether you have gathered any other information about Radish Boya.
As per my understanding, you have to pay 10,000 Yen initially to be a member, it becomes cheaper if somebody introduces you. Then will deliver every week, if you want to cancel or want some changes then you got to inform them 1 week beforehand. They have got a few set palettes, you will have to order one of them and there are other optional items too. I have heard their milk, yoghurt, sausage and tofu are also very good. They can do automatic bank transfer from your account.
In case, if you have got any feedbacks about their service, please do let me know.
Regards, Sraboni

Hello,
Is anybody here in the list a member of Radish Boya? I want to be a member of Radish Boya and am looking for somebody to introduce me. That way, it will be 5,000 Yen cheaper for me and also for the person who will introduce.
Hope to hear from you.
Regards, Sraboni

Hi, I just saw a delivery truck outside for another natural foods delivery company. Here is their website. I think they might be a competitor of Radish Boya.
http://www.chikyu-jin.com/index2.html

There are also a number of grocery stores that do delivery or have a sister business where you get your groceries delivered. The language part is always tough, but if one tends to buy the same stuff over and over, then one can sort of memorize which squares to check, or keep a copy of the previous order form and make some notes in English on it.

I just thought I would mention CO-OP as an avenue for grocery shopping, particularly for people with children, since I have not seen it talked about anywhere else on this forum. I'm sure most long term residents either know about CO-OP or use it, however since they only advertise in Japanese it may be difficult for new residents to discover. Speaking from experience, when we first arrived in Tokyo,I spent the first two months shopping at international supermarkets (at that time not yet knowing about COSTCO) and feel that I could have saved quite a bit,if I had known about CO-OP earlier, particularly when moving from another country and having to buy everything from scratch.

Basically, you receive a weekly magazine full of pictures of one thousand or so items of food, beverages, toiletries, cleaning products etc. You leave your order outside the front door on a certain day and on that day the following week your order will be delivered. Everything is in Japanese,although this doesn't matter since each picture is numbered and all you have to do is match the number on the picture with the number on the order form. Prices are very reasonable, and far cheaper than any of the international supermarkets. If you aren't home to receive your order, no problem, they have insulated boxes which they pack with ice. If you don't want to order one week, for example if you're going to be away, just tell the delivery person, or if you can't, just don't put the order out.

Most items are what you would find in a large Japanese supermarket, ie you may still need to go to COSTCO or an international supermarket to get certain things, but it's still handy to have most things delivered on a weekly basis.

You will need a Japanese speaking person to help you become a member, and set up an account, but once that's done it's all very easy.

Here it is: http://www.coopnet.or.jp/tokyo/

As Linda suggested, Co-op has a good reputation, and is used by many local families. The best thing is that Co-op sticks to organic and safe material. They also have branches throughout Japan, as well as supermarkets where you can purchase safe merchandise in reasonable prices, and often you don't have to be a member to shop there.

But if you're just looking for cheaper prices, your local supermarkets like Seiyu, Tokyu Store, Keiku Store, Uny, OK etc. are usually even cheaper. However, if you live in the wealthy districts like Hiroo or Denenchofu, I'm not sure where you can find them. In Shibuya, the basement of Tokyu Plaza has good quality and cheap prices, as far as I know.

Btw, there are other organic food and household goods delivery options. Please refer to the following thread.
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/discussions/messages/42/1009.html

Well there you go. I had no idea CO-OP was organic! That's great! Even more reason to use their services. Thanks for that info Yuko!
Talking about Tokyu Plaza basement, it is is very reasonable - coincidentally I went there for the first time yesterday and was very surprised at how low the prices are there.
Also, on the subject of delivery, and again this is rather old hat to long term residents, sorry, but for those people who might be very new, or housebound, this information may come in handy. Azabu supermarket has a phone delivery service in English where you just ring up and tell them you what you need, and if it is more than 10,000yen delivery is free. If you order before 2pm you will receive it that afternoon/evening between four and seven pm, although I think they can be flexible with this. Not recommended for use all the time as it can get quite expensive, however this can be invaluable when you can't get out of the house because you or your children are sick.

Just want to add that the Tokyu Plaza store that Yuko mentioned is no longer in existance -- the enitire building is gone now. Perhaps the Tokyu that Linda went to is the basement of the Tokyu department store. I never considered that it was cheap for food, but maybe I need to go have another look. For anyone in the Azabu/Roppongi area, or who doesn't mind traveling, there is a 15% discount for you early birds on all purchases (excluding alcohol) at the Nissan store near Azabu-Juban You need to get there before 8:30am to take advantage of the deal.

I have also discovered that the normal Tokyu supermarkets will deliver for Y315. The ones I have seen are the ones around Meguro and Shirokanedai and also includes Preece which is part of the chain.

I presume this would be the case for all Tokyu supermarkets.

Shibuya-san and I must be talking about different buildings. Shibuya Tokyu Plaza does exist and it has a basement market. I had lunch in that building last week. Look.
http://www.tokyu-plaza.com/shibuya/head/index.html

About delivery, as Cathy suggested, many cheaper price stores do have that too, especially if you order a decent amount. Anyone should try asking at the store.

But I do enjoy my occasional visits to National Azabu to buy the rare Hawaiian Punches and Poptarts and stuff, and I always think about having them delivered, but thanks to this Forum, I learned about the Foreign Buyers Club, so I might use their delivery service when I need it.

Back to the topic of reasonable shopping, it's always best to make frequent visits to your local "shou-ten-gai" shopping streets with smaller retailers. You know, for example in Hiroo, the street between Meiji-ya and the subway station.

Needless to say, those shops run by families for ages, focus more on making a bond between their customers and families, while the workers at the supermarkets tend to come and go. The small shops will throw in an extra vegetable or two, and will make a bargain if your kid fails to bring enough money. They know all about the neighborhood, and they will tell you secrets about the market situations. Great information value.

So we should always remember to utilise the small stores, the supermarkets and the international markets in a smart way.

Hi, As far as my knowledge goes Coop is not 100% organic. I called them up a few weeks ago and if I have understood them correctly, they have a few organic staff , but most of them are not.
Regards, Sraboni

SEIKATSU CLUB is organic and as far as I know is considered the best CO-OP in terms of quality of products. Once you've tried their meat, you won't be able to eat anything else; its sooo good! Service is, however, quite variable. They deliver milk and bread twice a week, and other items once a week.

Shibuya Tokyu Plaza is opposite the West Bus Terminal, and like Yuka says it's definitely still there. If you follow the directions to West Bus Terminal you should be able to see it from the station exit. Then you cross the very wide street that spans the West Bus Terminal and it's right there. Prices in the basement here are much cheaper than that of the Tokyu Department store basement.

The Aussie Shop at the Food Buyers Club is finally here so I thought I'd share the link.
You can check-out the Aussie website online here: http://aussie.fbcusa.com
Please bear in mind that this is still only a trial, so there may be a few hiccups although I didn't run into any while ordering, the delivery side is yet to be tested. To order, search for the items you would like to order - click on the "buy now" button - then "view cart" and "checkout".
*You will need to register the first time you use the Aussie Shop.

If you've got any questions or need help ordering, just drop Linden or Jeff
a line at FBC on: 078-857-9001 or by email: aussie@fbcusa.com

I was getting a bit confused by the above posts on the CO-OP and was trying to find info on the web. I found http://www.jccu.coop/ (in Japanese with a small section in English) for the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union (umbrella organization web site).

There are several co-op grocery home delivery companies operating in Tokyo (about 6). The one my daughter's doctor uses does not have any retail outlets. Hers is called "Toto Seikyo" (Seikyo means co-op). My neighbor uses the one called "Co-op Tokyo". Here's a list of the six (in Japanese): http://www.coop-toren.or.jp/

Retail "Co-op Tokyo" stores have a red and orange logo on the front of their stores (but red and pink on the link provided above http://www.coopnet.or.jp/tokyo/). For example, these would be the Co-op Tokyo stores in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (four at the moment): http://www.coopnet.or.jp/tokyo/omise/map/13_bun.html
To become a member you fill out a form and pay a Y5000 refundable member's fee (refunded when you withdraw). But if you walk in and buy some food without a member's card it's OK. Their home delivery system includes a catalogue every week, and there is a Y180 home delivery charge (every week - it basically covers the cost of the weekly catalogue). The same member's card can be used for the retail outlets and the home delivery system.

Now as for the products sold by the 6 different home delivery co-ops and whether or not they are all organic or only some are organic, I was not able to dig that deep yet. I hope this bit has not just confused everyone further, but I found it helpful to realize that there is more than one "co-op".

Has anyone tried this place yet and have any comments?
The Meat Guy
2-9 Yutaka 2-Chome, Minami-ku, Nagoya 457-0863 Japan
Tel: (052) 698-3610 Fax: (052) 698-3612
info@themeatguy.jp
http://www.themeatguy.jp/

A friend of mine just turned me on to this site www.themeatguy.jp
They've got a whole bunch of stuff other than just meat and are cheaper than the flying pig.
I recently ordered some lamb, sausages and cheese from the meat guy and luved it! Quick, good, and way cheaper than my local supermarket. My order came really fast and the quality was great!
Their's also a hilarious newsletter.