A Japanese grocery store is organized differently from a Western supermarket, and the products require context that the label alone won't give you. This guide covers every major section of a Japanese grocery store, what you should buy on your first visit, and what you can skip until you know what you're doing.
The stores most commonly encountered in the US: Mitsuwa Marketplace (largest chain, mostly West Coast + Chicago + New Jersey), Marukai (now under Don Quijote), H Mart (technically Korean-focused but carries extensive Japanese inventory), 99 Ranch Market (Chinese-focused but carries Japanese staples), and smaller regional Japanese grocery stores. Most Whole Foods and Trader Joe's locations carry about 15-20% of this guide's products.
Section 1: Soy Sauce (しょうゆ)
What to buy: Kikkoman Regular (dark soy sauce), Kikkoman Less Sodium (if you're watching salt), Yamasa (richer, slightly darker — preferred by many Japanese home cooks).
What to avoid on a first trip: White soy sauce (shiro shoyu), tamari, ponzu (a soy-citrus blend — buy this later), and any "soy sauce" that isn't actually fermented (Lee Kum Kee soy sauce, for instance, is Chinese-style and tastes distinctly different).
How much to buy: One 500-600ml bottle lasts most cooks 4-6 weeks. Buy the standard glass bottle on your first visit.
Location in store: Usually the condiments aisle, in the largest section with the most options. The labels are mostly in English because Kikkoman exports aggressively. Look for the red cap.
Section 2: Miso (味噌)
Miso is fermented soybean paste. The color indicates flavor intensity: white (shiro) is sweet and mild; red (aka) is salty and pungent; mixed (awase) is the most versatile.
What to buy first: A white miso (shiro miso) from Hikari, Maruman, or Saikyo brand. White miso works in miso soup, marinades, salad dressings, butter, and pasta — it's the one to learn with.
The packages: Miso comes in plastic tubs (300g-1kg) or vacuum-sealed bags. Both are fine. Keep refrigerated after opening.
The varieties you'll see:
- Shiro miso (白味噌): pale yellow, sweet, mild
- Aka miso (赤味噌): dark red-brown, intensely salty and savory
- Awase miso (合わせ味噌): blend of white and red — good all-purpose
- Mugi miso: barley miso, slightly grainy, earthy
- Hatcho miso: extremely dark, rich, traditional Nagoya-style — for experts
Buy: White miso. Come back for red miso when you're more comfortable.
Section 3: Dashi (だし)
Dashi is the clear Japanese stock — the flavor base for miso soup, simmered vegetables, noodle broths, and most Japanese cooking. Traditional dashi is made from kombu seaweed and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). It takes 30-40 minutes to make properly.
For beginners: buy instant dashi powder. Ajinomoto Hondashi is the standard product — a yellowish powder in a green-capped bottle. Use 1 teaspoon per cup of hot water. It's not exactly the same as fresh dashi but it's what most Japanese home cooks use on weeknights.
If you want to make it properly: Buy a packet of kombu (dried kelp) and a bag of katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito). Both are shelf-stable for months.
What you'll see:
- Hondashi powder (本だし): Ajinomoto brand, green bottle, instant
- Kombu (昆布): dried kelp in flat sheets or strips, in the dried seaweed section
- Katsuobushi (かつおぶし): shaved dried bonito, in small bags in the dried goods or snack section (yes, the snack section — it's eaten plain too)
- Dashi packs: teabag-style pouches of mixed dashi ingredients, steep like tea. A good in-between option.
Buy: Hondashi instant powder for now. One bottle lasts months.
Section 4: Mirin (みりん)
Mirin is sweet rice wine used in cooking — not for drinking. It adds sweetness and gloss to teriyaki sauces, simmered dishes, and ramen tare.
The important distinction: Real hon mirin (本みりん) is fermented and has ~14% alcohol. Mirin-style seasoning (mirin-fu chomiryo) is a cheaper sweetened syrup — still works, but different. Most stores carry both; look for "hon mirin" on the label.
Brands: Hinode, Takara, Mizkan. Any of these in hon mirin is fine.
Buy: A 400-600ml bottle of hon mirin. It lasts indefinitely.
Section 5: Sake (日本酒 / 料理酒)
Cooking sake (ryorishu) is used in marinades, braises, and sauces. It deglazes pans, tenderizes meat, and removes fishiness. It's different from drinking sake, though drinking sake works too.
Cooking sake is usually in the condiments aisle (not the alcohol section), has added salt, and is cheaper than drinking sake. Kikkoman and Takara both make cooking sake.
Note: If you want to drink sake as well as cook with it, buy a cheap drinking sake (junmai) and use it for both. The added salt in cooking sake makes it unpleasant to drink.
Buy: A 400-600ml bottle of cooking sake or a cheap junmai drinking sake.
Section 6: Rice Vinegar (米酢)
Milder and less sharp than Western white vinegar. Used in sushi rice, sunomono (cucumber salad), ponzu, and as a pickling medium.
Brands: Marukan, Mizkan (Mizukan's rice vinegar is labeled kokumotsu su or rice vinegar), Kikkoman.
Buy: 360-500ml bottle. Used infrequently enough that it lasts a long time.
Section 7: Noodles
Ramen noodles: Look for vacuum-sealed fresh noodles (in the refrigerated section) or dried curly noodles. Sun Noodle brand fresh ramen is what most good ramen shops in the US use. For pantry stock: Myojo or Maruchan brick-style for instant use.
Udon: Fresh udon (refrigerated) or frozen udon (Sanuki Udon brand, in small white packets in the freezer section) — frozen is actually better for texture than most dried udon.
Soba: Dried soba noodles from Hakubaku or Shirakiku. 100% buckwheat is harder to cook than blended (70/30 or 80/20 buckwheat/wheat) — blended is more forgiving.
Rice noodles, glass noodles: Usually in the same aisle. These are used in Korean and Southeast Asian cooking more than Japanese.
Buy: Frozen udon (Sanuki brand), one package of dried soba, one package of dried ramen noodles.
Section 8: Rice
Japanese short-grain rice (uruchimai) is what you need for sushi rice, onigiri, and eating alongside Japanese meals. It's stickier than long-grain rice. Not the same as Thai jasmine rice.
Brands: Koshihikari is the premium variety — from Japan or California. Tamaki Gold and Tamanishiki are excellent California-grown koshihikari. Nishiki is a more affordable mid-range option.
Glutinous rice (mochigome): Sticky rice used for mochi, sekihan (red bean rice), and some desserts. NOT the same as regular short-grain rice. The bag will say "glutinous rice" or "sweet rice."
Buy: 5-pound bag of Koshihikari or Nishiki short-grain rice.
Section 9: Tofu
Japanese grocery stores carry more tofu varieties than most Western stores.
The types:
- Silken tofu (kinugoshi): Very soft, custard-like. Used in miso soup, agedashi tofu, hiyayakko (cold tofu), and desserts. Has almost no structure — falls apart easily.
- Firm tofu (momen): Pressed, much firmer. Can be pan-fried, stir-fried, scrambled, or grilled. Holds shape when cooked.
- Extra firm: Western invention — often denser and dryer. Fine for stir-fry.
Brands: House Foods, Mori-Nu, Nasoya. House Foods is the most widely used Japanese-American brand.
Buy: One package each of silken and firm tofu on your first visit.
Section 10: Condiments and Sauces
Kewpie Mayonnaise (キューピー): Japanese mayo — creamier, tangier, and richer than Western mayo. Made with egg yolks only (no whites) and rice vinegar. Used on takoyaki, okonomiyaki, karaage, sandwiches, and as a cooking fat. The most versatile condiment in Japanese cooking. The red bottle with the baby label.
Ponzu: Soy sauce + citrus (yuzu or sudachi). Used as a dipping sauce for shabu-shabu, as a salad dressing, or for anything that needs brightness.
Sriracha (surprisingly Japanese-used): Not Japanese originally, but ubiquitous in modern Japanese home cooking. Skip this — you probably have it.
Tonkatsu sauce (ソース): The brown sauce for tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet). Bull-Dog brand is the standard. Resembles Worcestershire sauce but fruitier.
Okonomiyaki sauce: Similar to tonkatsu sauce, sweeter. Otafuku brand.
Buy on first visit: Kewpie mayo (essential), tonkatsu sauce if you plan to make tonkatsu.
Section 11: Dried Goods and Seaweed
Nori (海苔): Dried seaweed sheets. Used to wrap onigiri, as a garnish, for sushi. Yaki nori (roasted) is the standard. Get the full-sheet packets (not sushi rolls — full sheets you cut yourself).
Wakame: Dried seaweed flakes that reconstitute in water. Used in miso soup and seaweed salad.
Konbu / Kombu: Flat dried kelp. For making dashi. Keeps indefinitely.
Dried shiitake mushrooms: Intensely flavored dried mushrooms — rehydrate in cold water for 30+ minutes. The soaking water becomes a mushroom dashi.
Buy: Nori (one pack), instant dashi (if not bought yet).
Section 12: What to Skip on Your First Visit
Ponzu, yuzu juice, sudachi: Good products but advanced. Learn to cook first.
Mirin-fu chomiryo: The fake mirin. Buy hon mirin instead.
Pre-made seasoning mixes: Furikake is fine (rice seasoning), but many packaged seasoning mixes have monosodium glutamate levels that overwhelm the dish. Cook from components first.
Expensive Japanese whisky: Not the grocery store's fault it's there, but wait until you understand what you're buying.
Matcha KitKat and Japanese snacks: Not for cooking, but you will buy them anyway.
The First Visit Shopping List (for Beginners)
| Item | Brand | Purpose | |------|-------|---------| | Soy sauce (dark) | Kikkoman | Everything | | White miso | Hikari or Maruman | Miso soup, marinades | | Hondashi powder | Ajinomoto | Instant dashi | | Hon mirin | Hinode or Takara | Sauces, glazes | | Cooking sake | Kikkoman or Takara | Marinades, cooking | | Rice vinegar | Marukan | Salads, pickling | | Kewpie mayo | Kewpie | Dipping, cooking | | Short-grain rice (5lb) | Nishiki or Tamaki | All rice dishes | | Frozen udon | Sanuki | Quick noodle meals | | Firm tofu | House Foods | Stir fry, miso soup | | Silken tofu | House Foods | Miso soup, cold tofu | | Nori sheets | Any brand | Rice, onigiri |
Total estimated cost: $40-60, all pantry items that last 1-3 months.
With these 12 items, you can make: miso soup (daily), teriyaki chicken, any basic ramen, onigiri, sunomono, tamagoyaki, and a dozen more dishes.
The full recipes live in the book.
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