Saturday, August 28, 2010

Gaijin Gourmet: Best Place to Buy Fresh Vegetables and Fruit in Tokyo!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers


I've found another fantastic place that I just must introduce. It is a fresh produce and fish shop near Okachimachi station in eastern Tokyo. The shop is called, "Sakana no Yakata." It is a chain store run by a company called Yoshiike.


Sakana no Yakata - Go out South exit of Okachimachi station. Turn left. 5 seconds walk.


Folks, I went to that store for the first time ever and I was totally floored by how fresh the produce was and how incredibly cheap the prices were. It is the closet thing to a real Farmer's Market that I have ever seen in Japan.



The shop was packed with people on a weekday. They had tons of items on sale. Some items, like strawberries, I haven't seen on sale in quite a while.


Other items, like fresh bananas with five bananas in a pack sold for ¥30 yen (35 cents) a pack! My local store, which is dirt cheap (or so I thought) sells them for almost three times that price!

Look for the huge cod

Go out Okachimachi South Exit #1 and look to the left. You'll see "Sakana no Yakata" (魚の館)on the corner. Here is a map.


15 comments:

  1. Hey Mike, I am there everyday, and if you want to get it even cheaper go towards the end of the day. They want to sell out everything, so some places will literally start dumping the price and doing the omake thing. Great way of getting your food for dinner and dirt cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome post. I love seeing these rare things that suit the vegetarian crowd.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! Mark! You live in a very cool place! I love downtown Tokyo! Next time I go there, let's have a beer!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laurier! You are a vegetarian? No wonder you look healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. is there a time they will close?
    intend to visit tomorrow though..probably afternoon... still have good buys? for groceries and stuff

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks so much for this! I just moved to Tokyo and I'm used to inaka prices!!! I eat 80% fruit and veggies and my wallet has been crying! Do you know of any others in Tokyo?

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  7. can you please tell me where this store is? i cant find it on map.

    Okachimachi stations are near UENO but this is not west tokyo.

    thankx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oops! Right. Okachimachi station is eastern Tokyo. Here is the URl* http://www.yoshiike-group.co.jp/floor/fish.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. thankx man, i found it and went there yesterday. i live near iibashi. just a short ride to the store. lots of fish and veg/fruits. 10 bananas for 150Y, unbeaten in tokyo.do you know where to buy cheap chicken fillets and other meats?

    tahnkx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Anonymous! Thank YOU! Anyone help with where to buy chicken, etc?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Any updates, eg photos of recent prices of fruit, eg bananas?
    Fish prices?
    Shopfront still the same?

    How do these Sakana no Yokata prices compare to the fruit and vegie prices etc of the suburb of Ota's/south Tokyo/west of Haneda Airport's 'Metropolitan Central Wholsale Market/Ota Market'?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Rolf,
    I just got off the train at Kita-Sando station on the Fukutoshin Line and asked the Station master "Is Okachimachi in Eastern Tokyo?" He said, "Okachimachi is in eastern Tokyo."
    So don't argue with me about it. Argue with them. Okachimachi is in Taito-Ku, definitely Eastern Tokyo. See for yourself: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Tait%C5%8D-ku_in_Tokyo_Prefecture_Ja.svg/250px-Tait%C5%8D-ku_in_Tokyo_Prefecture_Ja.svg.png

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello!

    I've just moved into Tokyo; the prices of fruits and vegetables here are insane! Was wondering if this place is still there?

    Thank you!

    Charlotte

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Charlotte!
    Sorry... The place isn't there anymore!

    ReplyDelete

Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."