Grocery shopping in Japan is full of choices. Exotic choices, one might say.
One thing Japan has perfected is portion size and packaging. We went into a Japanese Supermarket and were overwhelmed with all the choices and options. In this post, I discuss mainly meat, fish and produce. I will discuss breads and pastries in a later post. In the picture below, the variety of options are available and the packaging is professional and top notch.
Besides meat, fish and sushi options are always available. The triangles pictured below are one of my new favorites. They are called Onigiri and remind me of a sushi taco/sandwich. The rice is formed into a triangle around the salmon or tuna center. The rice triangle is wrapped in plastic and then seaweed paper and then another layer of plastic. The seaweed is separated from the rice to prevent it from becoming soggy. There are specific steps, 1, 2, 3 the diner is to follow in order to unwrap it. If unwrapped properly, the seaweed will serve as the neat way to eat the yummy goodness without touching the sticky rice. Onigiri can be found at convenience stores and grocery stores.
Sushi is another item that is readily available. Rolls and sashimi can be purchased easily and provide a delicious option for a meal or snack.
The dining choices at standard grocery store are expected and relatively unsurprising. Walking through a convenience store is a different story. Some of the options are high on the gag-o-meter. According to Google Translate the items below are fish sausage. And no, they were not in the cold aisle.
Google Translate didn’t help me much to understand what these bags contain. Upon inspection, they look like dehydrated something…
Another shopping option is the Yokosuka Port Market. This store is loaded with fresh seafood and produce. To clarify, many of the seafood options are STILL ALIVE! Not sure fresher than that is possible.
The seafood did have a bit of a gross factor. Like the squid on a stick. Already for grilling.
Interested in making Fish Head Soup? No problem. You can buy your fish heads at the Yokosuka Port Market. As well as octopus tentacles.
Here is a funny story. See the package for 300 yen in the bottom left. Dave was looking in this section and I walked up and said, “is that Mac & Cheese?” He bust out laughing and replied, “did you think that was Mac & Cheese?” A girl can hope, right?
Before moving into the produce section at the Yokosuka Port Market we found the eggs. Some of the eggs were offered by the dozen and others were offered in a bundle. None of them were refrigerated.
The peaches were HUGE. They also had very unique packaging. They were sold in groups of two. To protect them from bruising, they had a foam padding around them and set inside of a plastic tray. The price is 598 yen – roughly $6.00 for two.
My favorite packaging was the string wrapped watermelon. The string was tied around the watermelon to make them easier to carry home.
Check out the soy beans! They were still attached to the plant!
The produce for the most part look very appetizing. However, if all of this is too much, MREs are available at the Commissary on base. The assortment is impressive: Beef & Black Beans, Mexican Style Chicken Stew, Elbow Macaroni in Tomato Sauce or if you prefer there is: “Rib Shaped BBQ Pork Patty.” Yummmmm…