皆さん, こんにちは! Minasan, konnichiwa! Hello everyone! 🌸
If you are only traveling in Japan for a short time, you should definitely try different Japanese dishes in restaurants. However, if you live here for a longer time, it can be quite expensive. So today I want to tell you where exactly I get my groceries here. 🙈
In the beginning, however, one should say that grocery-shopping can sometimes be expensive as well. I would say that we are pretty spoiled in Germany when it comes to food prices. For example, what surprised me at the beginning is how expensive fruits can be here. 800 yen (approx. 7 euros) for a melon, a mango and sometimes even for an apple is not conceivable in our conventional supermarkets but is completely normal here. But there are also more affordable alternatives, for example, bananas are very cheap. So you have to keep your eyes open for bargains and narrow your selection a bit, then it is also possible to buy cheap here. I will now tell you how and where this works best. 😉
The so-called Konbini, or convenience stores, are very common here. There are different chains, such as Seven Eleven, Lawson (100), Family Mart and Fresco. I am lucky that from my apartment I can reach all of these shops within a 2-minute walk. This practical location is also the reason why I only shop in convenience stores because there is basically everything you need.
You can find everything from fruits and vegetables, to frozen dishes and Bentos, to cleaning and hygiene articles. My most visited shop is Lawson 100 because as the name suggests, most products are sold there for 100 yen. However, because of the 8% tax, in the end, you will pay 108 yen for the original 100 yen products. Converted into euros, that's about 90 cents.
The Lawson 100 is also one of those stores that are open around the clock and don't even close on public holidays. So you always have the opportunity to get something quickly, no matter what time.
Most Konbinis also have other functions. For example, an ATM, printer or toilet can be found in many of them. It is even possible to send packages from there or have a package delivered to a Konbini nearby. The Konbini store the parcels for 10 days and if a parcel is not picked up, it will be returned. Most of the time there is also an event counter where you can, for example, book tickets for concerts or similar. Many stores also offer to heat the purchased Bentos or other dishes in the microwave so that you can enjoy the meal warm. In many, there is also a coffee machine next to the cash register, where you can get fresh coffee cheaply. In somewhat larger shops, such as most family marts, you can sit down for a while and eat or drink right there and use the free WiFi. You can tell: these convenience stores are really convenient because although they are quite small, you can still find everything you need in everyday life. 😉
But there are also larger supermarkets with more products. Most of the time, the prices are a bit higher there, which is why I did my weekly shopping there just once in a real supermarket.
In the supermarkets you can find more imported products, than in a Konbini. So, if you are looking for groceries from your home country, you could find them in a supermarket. If this is not the case, I have two more hints:
Search for Gyomu Stores on Google Maps. These are not as often to find as the Konbinis, but they offer different products there. I am lucky that there is a store of this chain right in my street. There I found, for example, given German foods such as sauerkraut, rotkohl or pickled cucumbers. 😋
This tip is especially for people who are in Kyoto. There is a shop in the Teramachi-Dori that óffers more than might you think. The store is advertised as a coffee store, but there is not only coffee from all over the world, but there are also other foods from different countries on the second floor. You can find some surprises there. 🙈
I think one thing where we Germans have a special taste is bread. You can only find soft, white bread here. From time to time I wish for a nice black bread, just something that doesn't taste like toast. Fortunately, there is a solution to this. There is a German bakery here in Kyoto. 🎉
It's called Perkeo and the bread there is perfect for my taste. 😋
But since the prices there are also a bit higher, I am not a permanent guest there, only stop by when I am craving for a nice German bread.
And to be honest, that hardly happens anymore, because Japanese cuisine has a lot to offer.
What that is and what you should definitely try if you travel here, I will tell you another time, so stay tuned. 😉
次回まで! Jikai made! Bis zum nächsten mal! 💕
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