Nijiya Market San Diego Store — Attraction in San Diego

We were here last time on Saturday, July 1st, 2017 and Sunday July 2nd as well. Before then, I used to visit here almost every Sundays with my friend. We get the usual Japanese drinks like Pocky sweat, Boss Coffee, Ice Coffee, teas, and other Japanese drinks. I was inspired to come after seeing Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! (for those who have not seen it do watch it if you are into Japanese culture) kiki series. It is where they do a blind test of each product (like coffee, water, tea, etc...) and try to figure what it is. So we always buy the usual drinks and sometimes the bento box and few other goodies. We come here often that one or maybe 2 cashiers recognize our faces. Of the three Japanese supermarkets in San Diego (Mitsuwa, and Marukai), I like Nijiya the most. Why do I like them? Let me give you 4 reasons why. Service and staffing: Nijiya constantly has the several of the same cashiers that I recognize and one more dude who stocks in the back. Of the 4 cashiers I see the most, John remembers us the most. The other day, he opened up his register to us because he didn't want us to wait in line. I appreciate that and wanted to give a shoutout to him, who is always smiling and hard at work. The other cute Japanese girl wearing a beanie that matches the Nijiya colors (on the receipt it says Kanako so let's call her that) was very friendly and polite. She is always smiling. Aside from that cashiers greet you at the door when you come in unless they are busy. Their service and friendly people stands out from the other 2 Japanese supermarkets. Did I mention they have authentic Japanese people working here? I heard Kanako and the other ponytail lady speaking Japanese to some of the Japanese customers. They even bowed. Sorry for rambling on here, but I wanted to highlight the cashier service you get from them compared to the other 2 supermarkets. Product and pricing: So we all know that Nijiya specializes in Japanese product. And if you watched Bento (the anime where people fight for the half off bento boxes and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend a watch as it is hilarious fighting for that discounts), Nijiya has them at 20% off around 19:00 (7pm). Although the other 2 supermarkets have it, I liked Nijiya's selection the most. Their drink selections are good too. They also have tables outside the store where you can sit and eat. The microwave is on the inside shall you need to heat up the bento that they have there. I believe the prices here are cheaper than the other 2 supermarkets. And no memberships are required here comparing to Marukai (and you can buy stuff from there without a membership, but I do not think you get the sale price out of it). Cleanliness: There are times I would come to use the restroom and it is always clean for my visits. The store is very clean and organized. I would usually see one or two people trying to stock the store. I also sometimes see cashier cleaning up and stocking the store as well. Really reminds me of the Japanese culture, which I feel is very well presented. Hours of operation: All of the three opens at 9, but Nijiya closes at 10, which is 1 hour longer than Mitsuwa and the same for Marukai. On the side note: I believe you can not buy alcohol after 21:00 (9pm). While it does not affect me, I am just letting you guys know who want to buy some Japanese alcohol to not come for that after that time because they will not let you buy it. Overall, Nijiya is my favorite Japanese supermarket store. The reasons are clearly listed on top. So do give them a visit and hopefully you like it too. PS: I do shop at Marukai or Mitsuwa too, and have not met the 20% off kami-sama yet (reference to Bento anime). Also character limit on google is 4000 so yelp has some of my list of cons since it is at 5000 just so you know that I am not completely biased...

This review is in conjunction with the 2 other markets listed at the bottom of this review (1 of 3).

My wife and I moved from Tokyo to San Diego in 2016, and one of the first things we did after touching down was seeking out where we could source the staple items that we were used to in Tokyo, mainly everyday food items. Thanks to Google-sensei, we quickly found out that there are 3 major Japanese markets located in the Convoy area, all within a stones throw from each other. So which of the three is the best one??

After trying out all three several times, we were left somewhat content, but not completely satisfied, and full of questions. Japanese food stuff can be so expensive, which is the cheapest? Which has the freshest fish for at-home sashimi? Why is CA grown Japanese rice so damn expensive? The simple answer? None of them. To this day, we alternate between all three, depending on what's on sale, in season, or what we are craving. I know, not very efficient. But at least they are close to each other.

The 5 star rating may not be the most accurate, but we seem to go here the most often out of the three.

The bottom line: Nijiya is great for organic Japanese stuff, and for the best raw fish.

The pros: ・They have the best raw seafood. On some weekends, they even have a live "kaitai-show", when they chop up a whole tuna for the customers. When we eat sashimi at home, this is where we buy the raw fish. ・They regularly stock the "chiai" section of a tuna, probably leftover from cutting up the sashimi parts. This is usually discarded in the US, but if you draw out the blood, and then marinate for a day or two, you can make a mean tuna "karaage". Tastes like a hybrid between tuna and steak, if that makes sense. A "commoner" dish you can find in a back alley izakaya in Japan. ・My wife's favorite: they have freshly baked cream puffs, or "Choux Cream" on the weekends. Not quite the real stuff, or even Beard Papa's, but good enough if it's fresh. A little soggy by Sunday. ・They have a nice organic veggie section ・Nijiya bento seems a little more health conscious ・They have their own brand of rice and a decent selection of freshly baked bread ・If you're trying to manage your budget, Nijiya brand items are usually not too shabby, and not too expensive. For example, their miso is not too bad. Other markets will prob sell miso for about $5+, but the Nijiya brand can be found on sale for about $3-4, regularly.

What we alternate for the best price: ・Beer - not always on sale, but between the 3 markets, at least one market has a 12-pack case of Asahi, Kirin, or Sapporo on sale. ・Curry/Stew/Hayashi roux - between the 3 markets, they seem to compete on who can see these the cheapest. ・Natto ・Nerimono (oden, kamaboko, etc)

Hope this helps!

[Japanese market review 1 of 3 - Comparison between Nijiya, Marukai...

Very good selection of products, especially seafood. Always has very good deals and many options for brands directly from Japan. Choices of bread also especially good, although a bit pricey. However, customers there are a different story. I was standing in line waiting for my turn to pay, and the woman behind me kept pushing against me with her cart. There was no one behind her. I gave a small nudge with my rear, she actually pushed me more, seemingly to re-position her cart. Then she slammed her cart against my back again. I pushed her cart back a bit with my foot, and she started screaming at me. I told her she was pushing against me and she actually denied it. At this point her male partner approached and tried to vouch for her that they didn't push me, although he was nowhere near us before. Liars come in a pack, I guess? My turn at the checkout came, later I saw her complaining about me to her cashier, calling me violent while giving me stinky eyes at the same time. To set the record straight, I went over to say it was her pushing me with her cart, she then kept calling me violent for me just defending myself. Like, how was I being violent by just speaking, no one knows. The part Nijiya played in this? That woman's cashier just said we should complain to a manager. Granted, that cashier surely looks young, but maybe they need to get much better de-escalation training. I would probably still go there again, keeping in mind there are crazies...