5 niche Japanese grocery stores to explore in the Bay Area

Do you want to make some udon or sukiyaki? Or how about a fresh rice ball or sashimi plate? You won’t have to travel far, thanks to a small Pacific Rim of Japanese groceries circling the Bay.

We’re not talking about large businesses like Mitsuwa or Osaka Marketplace. We’re talking about smaller, often mom-and-pop shops like you’d find on a Tokyo backstreet. Each has its own distinct personality and specialties to discover. Here are five places to visit, in no particular order.

Yaoya-San, El Cerrito

This unassuming shop’s sign entices you in with a basket of smiling, anthropomorphic vegetables. Inside will make you smile as well, with its abundance of snacks, beverages, and packaged meals that you won’t find in many other places. Sushi and bento boxes from Berkeley’s Musashi restaurant (which usually sell out by early afternoon), grilled fish entrees, and sides like fried eggplant with ginger or okra in sesame sauce are available. A small meat section offers thin cuts ideal for hot pot as well as luscious lobes of salmon roe. There’s a well-stocked sake, beer, and shochu wall, and the rest of the space is dominated by treats from across the seas – crispy ramen snacks, cans of Japanese coffee, Hawaiian kimchi popcorn, melon KitKats, and so on.

Details: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; 10566 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito; yaoyasan.com.

Fugetsu, San Jose

Fugetsu is more of a Japanese food emporium than a grocery store (though it does sell packaged snacks and drinks). It was supposed to be a restaurant until the pandemic forced a change. The specialties are okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake made with seafood, meats, cabbage, and whatever else is in the fridge, and kushikatsu, deep-fried skewers served in a small heating station. The rice balls are enormous, fresh, and stuffed with delectable toppings like cured mackerel and spicy roe with cucumber. And the bento section, prepared by Shalala Deli, is a wonder of curries and sushi bowls that rival anything you’ll find in a restaurant (but at a fraction of the price). Clover Bakery & Cafe, right next door, has long lines for its melon bread and strawberry buns.

Details: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 4342 Moorpark Ave., Suite 20, San Jose; fugetsumarket.com.

Diablo Oriental Foods, Walnut Creek

Diablo Oriental Foods’ long-standing presence in inland Contra Costa is especially welcome because there aren’t many Japanese shopping options in the area. This business has been in operation for many years, seemingly unchanged, according to some regulars, offering a small but carefully curated selection of Japanese and Hawaiian goods. Its narrow aisles have the staples you’ll need for home cooking, as well as colorful tableware and cutlery if your home-cooking setup is tragic. Fresh produce, pre-made sushi, sides like seaweed salad, and bottles of green tea are available.

“This is my go-to place for family sushi night,” one online reviewer says. “There are so many items in such a small space. A hidden treasure in Walnut Creek.”

Details: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 2590 N. Main St., Walnut Creek; 925-933-2590.

Tokyo Fish Market, Berkeley

This place isn’t just a fantastic Japanese fishmonger; it’s a fantastic fishmonger in general. The bounty of the sea is displayed on a bed of ice that runs the length of the store, with bubbling tanks for crabs and lobsters and a section for sashimi. Among the hundreds of different types of seafood available are velvety uni, crunchy geoduck, and delicate Fanny Bay oysters. In the produce section, you’ll find Tokyo scallions and daikon, as well as shumai, gyoza, and fun popsicles. At the deli counter, you’ll find onigiri and bento boxes, as well as a large selection of sake to pair with crackers like arare and senbei. A gift shop outside sells Japanese books, housewares, chef’s knives, neko and tanooki figurines, and other items to improve your home and social life.

Details: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; 1220 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; tokyofish.net.

Takahashi Market, San Mateo

Takahashi, which has been around in some form or another since progenitor Tokutaro Takahashi arrived in Northern California in 1906, will satisfy Hawaiian transplants craving a taste of home. Everything you need to make killer poke is here, including limu seaweed, sea salt, and kukui nuts from Hawaii, as well as Hawaiian soy sauce, sake, King’s sweet bread, poi, and Spam musubi. A well-equipped kitchen serves those who arrive early for plate lunches of kalua pork, grilled mackerel, and lomi salmon. Right now, on Thursday and Friday, Ocean Malasada Co. is selling Portuguese doughnuts in flavors like ube and haupia chocolate pudding.

Details: 221 South Claremont St., San Mateo; takahashimarket.com; open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.