Seafood department employees prepare fish in full view of customers.
The market features items not usually found at traditional retailers, like octopus sashimi.
In the meat department, Mitsuwa sells premium products like Berkshire pork and Jidori chicken.
Miyazaki beef is only produced in the Miyazaki region of Japan and costs $44.99 a pound.
A sign shows Suzuki Farm, one of Mitsuwa’s suppliers, whose owner brought seeds from Japan to grow traditional vegetables in the U.S.
Many produce items are packaged, in deference to Japanese customers’ preferences.
The fermented foods section of the produce department includes miso, tofu and soybeans. “Even miso, we have so many kinds of miso,” said store manager Takayuki Ono.
Sushi boxes always carry an expiration date that is the same as the day the sushi was prepared.
Food court vendors display menu items in cases.
When Mitsuwa brought in 700 cases of green tea-flavored Kit Kats, a variety exclusively produced in Japan, the supply was almost gone in a month.