Let's go to the supa!

Sushi paradise!

Grocery shopping in Tokyo is a whole new different ball game than what we're used to back home. For one, all labels are in Japanese. There's always pictures with directions, so you can definitely get by. Thank goodness we're hard at work in learning the language. My tutor Keiko is extremely helpful. Sometimes our neighborhood supa (soo-pah; super market) doesn't always carry the goods that we want, so we venture out to other supas and even international markets (trains away) to shop. You can find almost anything you need. Most large department stores have supas located on the lower levels. Grocery shopping can be quite interesting even if you just feel like killing time and browsing. You'll never hear enough of store clerks yelling out "Irashaimasseh!" from every direction. Translated, it means "welcome" or, "may I help you".

Among many things, Japanese take pride in their abundance of delectable sweets and desserts. You can find confectionery shops everywhere and all sweets are presented so beautifully, and might I add, oishii! (oo-ee-she; delicious).

Worldwide, Tokyo is known to be the most expensive city to live in. Having said that, I was still very much sticker-shocked to see outrageous prices on some groceries. I thought it would be worth sharing these pictures. Keep in mind that 1000 yen is approx $10US. Take a look...

Yes, these are cherries, very expensive ones at a specialty shop. The cherries don't seem all that different from ones back home, except that they're neatly sorted in the box. Not all supas sell cherries for this price. At our local supa we can buy cherries for about 600 yen for 1/2lb.

This is watermelon on sale.

It can cost up to almost 4000 yen, (size is similar to a soccer ball)

Hard at work

You can find an assortment of prepared foods, just like back home...even lasagna!