My Trip to Costco Japan

We panicked today realizing that we were down to just two diapers and made a spontaneous trip to Costco. The one closest to Tokyo is about 30 minutes away. My parents got me a membership that I used sporadically in the States. Apparently Costco membership is transferrable from country to country, so I was able to use mine here. 

My first surprise upon arrival was that everything looks more or less the same. Big everything, same warehouse, same layout. Second surprise was that Costco Japan sells some very different products. There were a lot more French style desserts and snacks.

This mini pastry assortment looked amazing but we had too many staples to buy this time (diapers, olive oil, bread, etc.), so I refrained. Also, there are a lot of good patisseries and bakeries in Tokyo. 

And of course there were lots of uniquely Japanese food, like curry pan (brioche-like bread fried on the outside with curry on the inside).

Salmon roe by the boxful! Costco is all about quantity, but it was still shocking to see such massive containers of ikura. They were also giving out samples of this, which was equally shocking.

Sushi, nigiri, and sashimi by the party platter. I didn't buy one, but I have heard that the value is good and the quality not bad. 

Some delicious Japanese junk food that no one should have in these quantities: 

I told myself this one was a tiny bit healthy since it has almonds in it. I was really really tempted, but at this point I had two squirmy kids on my hands so I had to make a quick decision to pass this time. Almond Assort Pack, I will be back. 

Other things are constants in Costco everywhere. The interesting thing about these strawberries is that the imported American ones are cheaper than the domestic Japanese strawberries. Japanese strawberries are grown in greenhouses, not organic, but nearly always perfect in both appearance and taste. The blueberries, imported from Mexico, are the approximately the same price as they were in Chicago at $5 a pack. I bought a pack because blueberries in Tokyo are about eight times this price. Bagels, too, are almost the same price as in the U.S. How do they keep the prices of these imported goods so low? 

Most things at Costco were definitely a better value than what you would find in Tokyo, especially western items like granola, bagels, and olive oil (those were a fraction of the price). I could live without these, but diapers are the clincher. Because travel costs quite a bit (tolls are $10-$15 here and gas is substantially more expensive too), we probably won't go to Costco often, maybe once every other month. 

I did get this sashimi grade salmon and made chirashi with it. It was so
worth it. I can't believe you can get sushi grade fish at Costco. This was the best thing we brought home today.