10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

Friday, January 17, 2020

10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

Costco Japan Haul

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I have visited Japan this winter. This time, we finally went to Costco there!

If you are a Costco member, you'll have access to any Costco location in the world. Just keep in mind that Costco Japan only accepts MasterCard credit cards and cash while Costco in the U.S. accepts Visa credit cards and cash. This time, I used my Capital One Quick Silver credit card (MasterCard), which is a 0% foreign transaction fee credit card, and I can earn 1.5% cashback rewards on any purchase. You can check out my previous entry, What You Should Take to Japan - Japan Travel Tips.

Costco Japan sell many Japanese products which you have never seen at Costco branches in the U.S. Anyway, I'm going to share what I purchased at Costco in Japan with you.

1. Sushi

40 Pieces of Nigirizushi, 4 Pieces of Makizushi and 4 Pieces of Tamagoyaki for 2,678 yen

(Tuna, Squid, Yellowtail, Shrimp, Salmon, Octopus, Scallop, Negitoro Maki)

Costco Japan Sushi

One of the reasons why I wanted to go to Costco Japan was that I really missed authentic Japanese sushi I purchased at Costco in Japan last time! Costco Japan sells very fresh high quality sushi at reasonable prices. The price is as cheap as ones at Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurant, which is called kaitenzushi (回転寿司) in Japanese, but the quality is as high as ones authentic Japanese sushi restaurants serve. I purchased this set of sushi and had it with my family. My brother, who I think is a foodie, was impressed at the quality and price. He is not a Costco member, so he asked me about Costco membership. By the way, Costco Japan membership fee is 4,400 yen a year. Anyway, all pieces of sushi were very fresh and sashimi was so big. Tamagoyaki also tasted great! I also loved the negitoro maki which is a roll containing tuna and green onions (negi). The Costco negitoro maki contained tuna, green onions, cucumbers and very fresh shiso leaves. I really enjoyed and loved all of them. :) If you are a sushi lover and a Costco member, you really should try Costco sushi in Japan.

2. VOX Wareteru Tenshin Amaguri (VOX われてる天津甘栗)
Organic Roasted Chestnuts
720g (180g x 4 Packs) for 899 yen

VOX Wareteru Tenshin Amaguri (VOX われてる天津甘栗)

I love roasted chestnuts! This large bag contained four packs of roasted chestnuts. You can eat them without cooking. You can also heat them in a pan or microwave (600w) them for 30 seconds.

VOX Wareteru Tenshin Amaguri (VOX われてる天津甘栗)

The shells were already cut, so it's very easy to remove shells and enjoy the chestnuts. They were slightly sweet and so delicious. If you like chestnuts, you probably love this one. I would like to purchase this one if I have a chance to go to Costco in Japan next time. :)

3. Cleat 3 Shurui No Imo Kenpi, 3 Kinds of Imo Kenpi (クリート３種類の芋けんぴ)
Crispy Japanese Sweet Potato Fries
600g (60g x 10 Packs) for 719 yen

Cleat 3 Shurui No Imo Kenpi, 3 Kinds of Imo Kenpi (クリート３種類の芋けんぴ)

This large bag contained three kinds of imo kenpi, crispy Japanese sweet potato fries.

Cleat 3 Shurui No Imo Kenpi, 3 Kinds of Imo Kenpi (クリート３種類の芋けんぴ)

4 Packs of Regular Imo Kenpi
3 Packs of Salted Finely Cut Imo Kenpi
3 Packs of Brown Sugar Coated Finely Cut Imo Kenpi

Cleat 3 Shurui No Imo Kenpi, 3 Kinds of Imo Kenpi (クリート３種類の芋けんぴ)

Imo Kenpi (芋けんぴ)

Imo Kenpi, regular imo kenpi, was sugar coated and nice and crispy. It was as good as I had expected.

Shio Kenpi (塩けんぴ)

Shio Kenpi, salted imo kenpi, was slightly salty and sweet.

Kokuto Kenpi (黒糖けんぴ)

Kokuto Kenpi, brown sugar coated imo kenpi, had a strong taste of brown sugar. I love it.

4. Maruhiko Seika Mukashi Nagara No Agemochi (丸彦製菓昔ながらの揚げもち)
Rice Crackers
612g (17g x 36 Packs) for 899 yen

Maruhiko Seika Mukashi Nagara No Agemochi (丸彦製菓昔ながらの揚げもち)

This large bag contained 36 small packs of rice crackers, so it's about 25 yen each, which is very cheap, but it didn't taste like cheap.

Maruhiko Seika Mukashi Nagara No Agemochi (丸彦製菓昔ながらの揚げもち)

The rice crackers were nice and crispy. They were lightly salted. I noticed its savory soy sauce flavor and loved that. I would like to buy this one again. :)

Maruhiko Seika Mukashi Nagara No Agemochi (丸彦製菓昔ながらの揚げもち)

5. Fujicco Shio Kombu (フジッコふじっ子塩こんぶ)
Salted Dried Kelp
405g (135g x 3 packages) for 998 yen

Fujicco Shio Kombu (フジッコふじっ子塩こんぶ)

My husband and I love shio kombu, shio konbu, salted dried kelp. I make rice balls with this. I also make super easy pickles (cucumbers, cabbages and etc) with this.

6. Ohmoriya Misoshiru No Gu (大森屋味噌汁の具)
Dried Ingredients for Miso Soup
175g for 698 yen

Ohmoriya Misoshiru No Gu (大森屋味噌汁の具)

This is dried ingredients for miso soup. It conatins dried wakame, fu, tofu, abura age, green onions and etc. It's easier to make miso soup with this one.
How to Cook Miso Soup : Heat water to a boil and add your favorite dashi. Turn off the heat and blend miso into it. Then add this dried ingredients into the soup.

Ohmoriya Misoshiru No Gu (大森屋味噌汁の具)

7. Kuze Fuku Shoten Bannou Dashi (久世福商店万能だし)
Japanese Soup Stock with Fish (Dried Bonito Flakes, Dried Anchovies and Grilled Flying Fish)
280g (8g x 35 packs) for 1,588 yen

Kuze Fuku Shoten Bannou Dashi (久世福商店万能だし)

Dashi is the most important ingredient for Japanese cuisine. I found this Kuze Fuku Shoten Bannou Dashi (久世福商店万能だし) at Costco in Japan. This is high-end dashi but was selling at pretty reasonable price there. This dashi was made of dried bonito flakes, dried anchovies and grilled flying fish.

Kuze Fuku Shoten Bannou Dashi (久世福商店万能だし)

With using this dashi, you can make miso soup, chawanmushi, udon, nabe and etc.

Kuze Fuku Shoten Bannou Dashi (久世福商店万能だし)

8. Ohmoriya Karikari Ume (大森屋カリカリ梅)
Umeboshi and Shiso Leaf Furikake
400g for 998 yen

Ohmoriya Karikari Ume (大森屋カリカリ梅)

This is umeboshi frikake. If you love Yukari, Japanese ume plum pickle frikake, you will also love this one. I enjoyed it as frikake (I sprinkled this frikake over steamed rice.). I will also make rice balls with this one. You can also make Japanese pasta with this one. :)

Ohmoriya Karikari Ume (大森屋カリカリ梅)

9. Kewpie Pro-use Mayonnaise (キューピープロユースマヨネーズ)
Japanese Mayonnaise
1kg for 348 yen

Kewpie Pro-use Mayonnaise (キューピープロユースマヨネーズ)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Japanese Mayonnaise Is the Best!, I love Japanese mayonnaise so much. I will make egg toasts, potato salad, broccoli salad, makizushi and so on.

10. Yamaya Mentai Mayonnaise Type (やまやめんたいマヨネーズタイプ)
Japanese Mayonnaise with Meintaiko
500g for 498 yen

Yamaya Mentai Mayonnaise Type (やまやめんたいマヨネーズタイプ)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Hakata Yamaya Restaurant - All-You-Can-Eat Mentaiko, Yamaya is high-end brand of mentaiko, Japanese marinated cod roe. When I found this at Costco, I thought I should buy one! To make a long story short, I was disappointed in this taste at first, but I really love this one now. When I have a chance to go to Costco in Japan, I will purchase this one again! :)

Yamaya Mentai Mayonnaise Type (やまやめんたいマヨネーズタイプ)

First, my husband and I tried it with salad, but I was surprised that it was too spicy, and I was disappointed in that I didn't notice any mentaiko taste.

Then, we tried it with Nissin Yakisoba UFO. It wasn't too spicy anymore, but it tasted like just regular mayonnaise.

Nissin Yakisoba UFO

Then, we made egg toasts with this mentai mayonnaise. This was incredibly delicious! I finally noticed very rich mentaiko taste! I thought this mentai mayonnaise is perfect for cooking!