Market Friday At My Costco In Japan
My Costco in Japan for #MarketFriday by @dswigle.
For those of you who don't know, Costco is a staple in American shopping. It's a membership, bulk, shopping warehouse initially started for small businesses, but expanding to everyday shopping needs, in bulk.
It spread to Japan back in the 90's and since then has opened 31 locations all over the country. The Costco near my home is only a few miles away, but because of the hills takes about 20 minutes to get to via car. You can take the train, as I used to 20 years ago, but getting bulk items home on the train is a pain in the ass.
There are two things significantly different with Japanese Costco's that people will notice right away. Rooftop parking is one and food is the other.
My Costco, like many other shopping centers in Japan, put their parking lots on the rooftops. I'm not sure why this is preferred to basement parking, but it's very common.
The views are nice from the roof(4th floor) though.
When you enter from the rooftop, you can get your shopping cart or get one at the entrance on the ground floor. The escalator ramps & carts have strong magnets in them so the cart can not move when going up or down.
Once inside you will notice it's almost exactly like the American Costco's.
Including crowds...
The foodcourt is the same too. My kids always have to have the pizza when we visit.
The products are a mix and match between American & Japanese. When I first used to shop at this location 20 years ago, American foods like cheddar cheese or refried beans were very hard to find in Japan. Now there are foreign food shops everywhere, but it's much cheaper to buy certain products at Costco like cheese!
Or specialty items like mini cronuts.
There are some nice items from other Pacific nations like this delicious butter from New Zealand.
We literally go to Costco now when ever we get low on butter because this brand is so good.
However, the reason I go is for the real good stuff, Wagyu A4 beef!
Unfortunately those were Dec. 2020 prices so now that same pack of beef will set you back about $70. It's still worth it for A4 beef though. If you've never had real A4 or A5 wagyu you are missing out. There is nothing like it.
Real bacon from Wisconsin! And it's thick cut!
You can also get whole roasted rotisserie chickens for like $8. That's insane in Japan and they often make you take a number in order to purchase one because they sell out so fast.
Of course, Japanese foods are plenty, for example this squid snack that my family loves, but I won't touch with a 10' pole.
How about ramen snack that I think was mutton flavored? This ramen you snack on like you would a potato chip.
Then there are oddities like this massive, 6kg chocolate Easter egg that probably originates from the US, but who knows.
Recently I noticed a huge increase in camping & outdoor goods. Due to the covid restrictions people have been opting to go out camping to get away from the city restrictions.
Conclusion, Costco is basically the same as the American version, but with Japanese & Pacific Rim nation products mixed in. You'll feel like you steeped right into America. Still, those different products really make it a great place to shop at and try out new foods you might not otherwise.
If you are interested here is a link to Costco Japan in English: https://www.costco.co.jp/
Thanks for reading!
Do you know the legal name of @themarkymark ???? It is needed to contact his local police station. Any information to his whereabouts would be much appreciated.
I am also in Japan! Seeing this post makes me so happy. 😅
I have only been to one costco, in Kansai (in Hyogo), and that was only one time.
I wish I could go to costco but it seems it's so far from where I live now.
Hi. There used to be a lot of us in Japan here, but sadly most went their own way. We had big meetups around town and even hosted Ned when he came to visit. There are a few of us left on HIVE, but it's nice to see new comers like yourself. Japan is such a unique place there is never ending material to write about.
Looking forward to reading your posts in the future now that someone else is blogging in Tokyo.
Oh I didn't know that. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on while I wasn't yet in Hive! Wow!
I completely agree!
Thank you! Looking forward to seeing Japan in your eyes too!
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Wow! I really do like to visit Japan Some day..
Your Post Is good.
If you ever get a chance you should visit. It's a special place. Thanks!
Hahaha.
Great to see a Costco in Japan. Rooftop parking is even here in Spain common, but we have also underground. I prefer as the car keeps longer cool.
Thanks for showing us around and some products they have.
The wagu beef looks amazing. The marbling… that’s all what matters.
Hahaha such a large Easter egg. Wow I love chocolate, but don’t think I would buy it 🤣
Have a wonderful weekend 👋🏻☀️
Wow, it seems rooftop parking is common everywhere except California.
Yep, marbling is what matters. American steak is good, but A4 wagyu is way better.
I love chocolate too, but even I couldn't eat that much......
Thank you for the comment. I did enjoy my weekend digging & buying gemstones!
Hahaha funny right. All but where you live.
I only select beef when the marbling is right. It makes such a difference.
You are welcome @rt395 😁 that’s sounds quite interesting.
Have a wonderful day today and good start of this new week 👋🏻☀️
I loved going to Costco when I was in Taiwan as they do a lot more foreign stuff than the normal supermarkets. Do they charge a hefty membership fee in Japan? In Taiwan it was nearly USD70 a year and we figured it wasn't worth joining as we never buy that much to make the membership worthwhile. So we always tag along with our friends!!
Ah, the old sneaking in with the friends routine. I'm pretty sure the cost for membership is the same as the US. I think it was $65 for ours because it's under our business, which is a write off. While some things are very comparable in price like meats, other things like butter, cheese, toilet paper are better to buy at Costco.
I mentioned in my reply to @dswigle that I couldn't believe Taiwan has 14 Costco's! Is there one in all the big cities?
I looked and they are mostly the big cities. :)
I just renewed my subscription to Costco three days ago as it was expiring. We have it as a family, so even though we live states away from each other, we share the membership. I think it was $70 for the year.
I forgot that they started for small businesses, but, now that you said that, I remembered it. Underground parking is common here, but the rooftop is in the cities. I live in Washington, DC and the rooftop parking is even at the Metro Stations. Smaller towns and cities don't need to do that. I am going to look up that ramen with mutton. I wouldn't eat it, but, I bet I know someone that would.
Wagu... Oh, yummy! I thought ours was expensive, but, we are fire sale prices compared to you!
Ewwww. That egg is just too much! I kind of hope it didn't come from the US... now I am curious. You will have to look next time you go. Here are all the Costco stores in the world.
558 in the US
103 in Canada
39 in Mexico
29 in the United Kingdom
27 in Japan
16 in South Korea
14 in Taiwan
13 in Australia
3 in Spain
1 in Iceland
1 in France
1 in the People’s Republic of China
1 in New Zealand (opening in 2022)
1 in Sweden (opening in 2022)
That is a lot of stores. I think their rotisserie chicken is pretty good! The cost is $4.99 They are considered a leader item and they are willing to take a loss on it.
And they aren’t the only ones. Wholesalers BJs and Sam’s Club have matched Costco in price (Sam’s offers theirs for a penny less, at $4.98).
Thanks so much for being a part of #MarketFriday! I loved your post!
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Upped and reposted
Hi @dswigle sorry for the late reply. I took off to the mountains right after I wrote this post.
That's very interesting about the rooftop parking over in DC. I guess it must have something to do with density? Although Costco & the other stores I mention sit on their own plot of land so it still makes me wonder. Maybe the cost to build above ground is cheaper?
Ah, smart about rotisserie being a loss leader, but I thought their junk food in the food court was the loss leader! Either way, in Japan it definitely works to bring people in.
14 Costco in Taiwan! Taiwan is really small so there must be one in every city! I wonder if @livinguktaiwan can shed light on that?
Thanks for the support. It's a fun tag you have created.
The food court is a lost leader also... they know what turns on people! I admit that I love their rotisserie chicken. :))
Thank you! I am glad you like it and don't forget next week is the $10.00shopping trip! Now THAT should be fun!
Have a great day!
WOW!
It is the same!!!'
Hahaha!!!
Pretty much. It always feels a bit strange walking in because it looks & feels like the USA.