Saturday June 13, 2009
Tokyo, Japan
I was talking to a friend of mine in the States via iChat and we got into the discussion of shopping, our favorite topic. She and I love Costco and when I told her that I can get my Costco fix in Japan, she was shocked! She had no idea there was a Costco in Japan and that our Costco card from the US is actually an international card so can be used anywhere in the world! Few days later, had a similar conversation with another friend from the States and she asked me to take pics and post a blog on what Costco Japan looks like. So here it is.
I usually go to the Costco in Tamasakai which is about a one hour train ride from Tokyo. But this time I decided to go to the Makuhari Costco as a work colleague said its the biggest and is 2 stories. I've never been to a 2 story Costco so off I went. It took about an hour to get to from Akasaka which is where I live and was pretty straight forward except that you have to take a bus from the train station to Costco and there are only 2 buses an hour (top and bottom of the hour). Fortunately for me it was only a 5 minute wait or so. Otherwise, I would have taken a taxi.
The layout of Costco is exactly the same as it is in the US, except for in Makuhari it's split into 2 levels. The Makuhari Costco also has a tire service but no gas service like in the US. They also have a fast food section which sells churros, pizza and hot dogs but NOT Hebrew National 100% beef Kosher hot dogs. They used to have the Hebrew 100% hot dog but apparently it was not popular so got replaced by 100% pork hot dogs. Now that was a bummer because Costco was the only place I knew of in Japan where you can get a Kosher Hot Dog. I never thought I'd miss having a good beef Kosher Hot Dog but I do miss them occasionally in Japan. But according to the Costco guy, Japanese like the pork hot dogs better. Oh well.
There is one major difference about Costco in Japan. That difference is that Costco Japan sells luxury goods from Tiffany, Gucci etc. I believe this is a Japan only experience. Still expensive but a much better deal than buying it from the stores in Ginza!
Here are pics of the Costco in Makuhari. Photos aren't allowed for some reason so I had to use my miniature point and click camera and take them very fast so not to get caught. So sorry for some of the quality but hopefully you get the gist of what Costco in Japan is like.
One thing about Costco Japan that is different is how impeccably clean the floors and the shopping baskets are. No left over shopping lists in the baskets and everything is shiny. From the entrance one first goes to the second floor where non-food items are sold.
The TV section. Not only do they have every Japanese brand but also Vizio which suprised me!
The optical station is exactly the same layout as in the US
Now here's the difference from the US Costco: Rolex watches
Tiffany Jewelry and it comes with the blue box!
Baccarat Jewelry
And Cartier!
US and UK Gossip Magazines
Toilet Paper
I almost missed this: The designer handbag section - Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, etc. Every bag was over 1000 USD.
The first floor is where the food items are located.
There are also some Japan specific items like Sake and Shochu
Rows of Wasabi
Huge bags of Japanese rice
There are also some Asian items that you can't get in the states like Kimchi Nori from Korea (its really good if you haven't had it before)
Thai shrimp chips are on the right, Japanese shrimp chips on the left
And lastly, American beef jerky which is very popular in Japan and all over Asia.
I spent about 2 hours there, bought my usual toilet paper, cleaning supplies and enough ground beef and chicken for the dogs and jumbo shrimp for me . What's great about Costco Tokyo is that they DELIVER for a nominal fee. I ended up taking the shrimp, beef and chicken with me as I brought my cooler and had everything else delivered. I shopped on Saturday and the box arrived at my apartment on Monday. Oh and almost forgot, they also have a fabulous wine and booze selection!
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