Japanese Grocery Haul - What I Purchased at Supermarket, Department Stores and Kitano Ace in Japan

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Japanese Grocery Haul - What I Purchased at Supermarket, Department Stores and Kitano Ace in Japan

Japanese Grocery Haul

As I mentioned in my previous entry, my husband and I have visited Japan this winter. We purchased some Japanese bread at a supermarket and drugstore such as my favorite shokupan and anpan, and we also visited Japanese Costco and purchased some grocery such as high quality sushi and delicious Japanese mayonnaise. We also purchased some grocery at a supermarket and department stores. As I mentioned in my previous entry, Find Delicious Foods at Depachika, Must Go to Place in Japan, major department stores have delicatessen on underground floors which is called depachika in Japanese (Depa (デパ): department store + Chika (地下): underground foor). If you are planning on visiting Japan, you really should go to depachika because they have the finest foods from many famous restaurants, confectioneries and etc. Depachika foods are seriously way more delicious than meals from convenience stores and supermarkets.

Anyway, today I'm going to share 9 products I purchased at a supermarket and department store with you. :)

1. Mishima Takikomi Wakame (三島の炊込みわかめ)
Rice Seasoning Contains Wakame Seaweeds
98 yen at Aeon Supermarket in Japan

Mishima Takikomi Wakame (三島の炊込みわかめ)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, My Shopping List for Japanese Groceries - What I Want to Get in Japan, I wanted to purchase some rice ball seasoning. I purchased ume and shiso leave rice seasoning at Costco in Japan, and I also purchased this wakame rice seasoning, Mishima Takikomi Wakame, at Aeon supermarket there. You can mix rice ball seasoning with steamed rice. I made wakame rice balls for my road trip before.

wakame rice balls

2. Tororo Kombu (とろろ昆布)
Long Dried Kombu Flakes
88 yen at Aeon Supermarket in Japan

Tororo Kombu (とろろ昆布)

Tororo Kombu (とろろ昆布) is long dried kombu flakes. You can top it to udon noodles. You can check out my previous entry, How To Cook Tsukimi Wakame Udon.

Tsukimi Wakame Udon

3. Fukujinzuke (福神漬)
Japanese Radish Pickles for Curry Rice
98 yen at Aeon Supermarket in Japan

Fukujinzuke (福神漬)

Fukujinzuke (福神漬) is Japanese radish pickles perfect with Japanese curry. You can find fukujinzuke at most supermarkets in Japan.

Japanese Curry and Fukujinzuke

4. Takanazuke (たかな漬)
Japanese Mustard Leaf Pickles
218 yen at Aeon Supermarket in Japan

Takanazuke (たかな漬)

Takanazuke (たかな漬, 高菜漬) is Japanese mustard leaf pickles and is perfect with steamed white rice. In Fukuoka, where is my hometown, takanazuke is famous local pickles and also popular tonkotsu ramen topping. This is whole Japanese mustard leaf pickles, so I will cut them finely and stir-fry them. You can check out my previous entry, How to Prepare Takanazuke, Japanese Mustard Leaf Pickles. If you are in Los Angeles, you can also enjoy takanazuke at Hakata Yamaya Restaurant. They serve all-you-can-eat mentaiko and takanazuke for free during lunch hours.

How to Prepare Takanazuke

5. Umekazuke (梅香漬)
Japanese Radish and Ume Pickles
500 yen at Kyo Tsukemono Mori (京つけものもり) located in Hankyu Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

Umekazuke (梅香漬)

I purchased this Japanese pickle at Hankyu Umeda, a department store in Osaka. I really love depachika! In Osaka, my husband and I were staying at a hotel and enjoyed breakfast there. I really loved some kinds of Japanese pickles the Japanese hotel served. That's why I was looking for the best Japanese pickles at Hankyu Umeda. I ended up purchasing some pickles at Kyo Tsukemono Mori (京つけものもり), a famous Japanese pickle manufacture company from Kyoto. I tried some samples of their pickles and decided to purchase this Umekazuke (梅香漬), Japanese radish and ume pickles.

Umekazuke (梅香漬)

They are so crunchy! They have delicious katsuo ume taste, and are so flavorful. :)

6. Katsuo Takuan (かつお沢庵)
Japanese Radish Pickles
600 yen at Kyo Tsukemono Mori (京つけものもり) Located in Hankyu Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

Katsuo Takuan (かつお沢庵)

At Kyo Tsukemono Mori, I also purchased this Katsuo Takuan (かつお沢庵), Japanese radish pickles. They are also so crunchy and are perfect with steamed rice. :)

Katsuo Takuan (かつお沢庵)

When I had this takuan, I remembered that my grandmother used to make takuan at home when I was a kid. Her friend visited our home to see her every early morning. (Seriously, I saw her friend every busy morning before going to my school.) My grandmother and her friend enjoyed talking and her homemade takuan and freshly brewed Yame green tea. Anyway, some Japanese people enjoy pickles as ochauke (お茶請け), which is a food liked to eat with green tea.

7. Agoiri Dashi (あご入りだし)
Japanese Soup Stock with Flying Fish
25 packs of soup stock
916 yen each at Kitano Ace (北野エース) Located in Hankyu Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

Agoiri Dashi (あご入りだし)

As I mentioned in my previous entry, Japanese Grocery Haul - 7 Products He Purchased at Kitano Ace in Japan, I had purchased two packs of Agoiri Dashi at Kitano Ace (北野エース) in Tokyo before. I really loved them and purchased them again. :) With using this agodashi, I have cooked miso soup, takikomi gohan and so on. Those turned out very delicious. The Kitano Ace branch I found at Hankyu Umeda department store was very small and was selling a limited selection of Kitano Ace grocery, but I was glad that I could find their Agoiri Dashi there!

Kitano Ace Agoiri Dashi

8. Nebatoro Frikake (ねばっとろふりかけ)
Tororo Kombu Frikake
324 yen at Kitano Ace (北野エース) Located in Hankyu Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

Nebatoro Frikake (ねばっとろふりかけ)

My husband found this frikake at Kitano Ace located in Hankyu Umeda department store. It contains tororo kombu, sesame seeds and so on. Nebatoro (ねばっとろ) means sticky in Japanese, so it's sticky kelp rice seasoning. It must be delicious. ;)

9. Tsubuan (つぶあん)
Sweetened Azuki Bean Paste
380 yen at Gozasoro (御座候) Located in Hanshin Umeda Department Store in Osaka, Japan

Tsubuan (つぶあん)

When we lived in Osaka, he really loved Gozasoro's kaitenyaki (回転焼), which is also called imagawayaki (今川焼). Kaitenyaki is a traditional Japanese dessert and is like a pancake filled with sweetened azuki bean paste.

Gozasoro (御座候)

Kaitenyaki (回転焼)

This time, we also purchased kaitenyaki at Gozasoro (御座候), which is a very famous kaitenyaki store, located in Hanshin Umeda (阪神うめだ) department store in Osaka and found this tsubuan made by Gozasoro. Since he really loves sweetened azuki bean paste, I thought we should buy one!