Costco in Japan

One of the things we have been looking forward to since arriving in Japan was going to one of the nine Costco's that are in Japan. Lucky for us the closest Costco is about 30 minutes from the base. We had driving directions but quickly realized that parts of them were a bit confusing. All was well until we missed a big turn so we turned at the very next street but realized we were in a residential area so we had to turn around and get back on the main road. Just as Mike was turning he got in the right lane (oops) so he had to quickly get off on a side street. Luckily the road was small and not well traveled so we were in no danger. I got flustered because Mike wasn't listening to me and he got flustered because driving here is just plain CRAZY. We finally got moving in the right direction and were almost at Costco when we missed another big turn. The signs here are just plain confusing. Luckily we found Costco anyways and it felt good to see something familiar. We parked in the parking garage on the second floor. It was pretty packed which is not too surprising as the Japanese love all things American. In typical Japanese fashion we were able to take our carts from the second floor to the first floor on a people/cart escalator. The girls loved it.

First we headed to the food court to get our Costco hotdog. There were carts lined everywhere near and in the food court. All of the tables were completely packed with people. The hotdogs were only 200 yen (a little over $2) which is a little more than they are in the US but still pretty good for Japan. The hotdogs tasted exactly the same but the buns were topped with sesame seeds. We had orange fanta soda to drink which seems to be a popular soda around here.

Most everything about the Costco was similar to American Costco stores. The layout was exactly the same with the photo center and eye center right at the entrance followed by the TV's and cameras. We did find a few things that we thought were unique and interesting:

-a sushi and sashimi section near the deli
-octopus and other dead creatures all packaged up
-incredibly tiny scales used for petite people
-little kid sized kimonos and Japanese pajama outfits
-Japanese bicycles with baskets and all
-MacLaren strollers that were cheaper than the full priced ones from the US
-a small selection of Crocs
-the enormous backyard playsets that no one probably buys here because hardly anyone has a yard, let alone one that is big enough to host such a piece of equipment

We learned that we can pretty much get anything at this Costco that we would be able to get at most of the Costco's in the US. I had expected this Costco to be a bit more Japanese and so it was a nice surprise to find a little piece of America here. Since the produce isn't that great at the commissary I was relieved to see good produce here at Costco. The yummy berries from the cold section will be a welcome treat in our home. I am so excited to have a Costco where we live!