On January 31st, Japan’s premium supermarket Tokyo Central opened a new store in Bay Street, Emeryville, California with a grand opening event that included a press conference, ribbon-cutting ceremony, and cultural performances.
The opening event was attended by Emeryville mayor, the Japanese Consul General in San Francisco, and representatives from the company. The store officially opened to the public at 10 a.m., attracting hundreds of customers who lined up to shop.
This new Tokyo Central store is the brand’s 15th location in the United States and the second in Northern California.
During the event, media were given a tour of the store to learn about its layout, product offerings, and unique dining options, followed by a press conference and speeches by special guests.
Koichi Toyo, the president of Marukai Corporation, the group to which Tokyo Central belongs, described Emeryville as a city full of creativity, diversity, and community cohesion, which aligns well with Tokyo Central’s emphasis on community and exchange.
He emphasized that Tokyo Central aims to create not just a retail space but also a place for residents to experience Japanese culture through food and products.
Mayor Sukhdeep Kaur of Emeryville expressed that the new store’s opening signifies not only a commercial investment but also the city’s support for cultural diversity and economic vitality. The city government welcomes the increased consumer choices and experiences that the store will bring to residents and visitors from neighboring cities.
Japanese Consul General in San Francisco, Kotaro Otsuka, also congratulated the opening of the store. He noted the continuous popularity of Japanese food and lifestyle products in the American market and highlighted Tokyo Central’s role in promoting cultural exchange and interaction in the East Bay.
The Emeryville store spans over 40,000 square feet and offers more than 25,000 Japanese products, including fresh produce, Japanese delicacies, bento boxes, snacks, seasonings, household goods, and limited import items, with some directly imported from Japan.
The store also features a hand-rolled sushi bar that focuses on freshly made sushi using Hitomebore rice from Japan. Some locations have introduced rice milling equipment from Japan to grind rice on-site, preserving the freshness and aroma of the rice.
Furthermore, the store offers a variety of rice bowl meals and prepared foods daily, which has become a major attraction for customers.
During the opening day, there were Japanese festival-style dance performances. The performances combined traditional wooden clapper dance with modern elements and incorporated popular anime song medleys, drawing many people to stop and watch. The organizers aimed to enhance the shopping experience by providing cultural entertainment to customers.
To celebrate the opening weekend, Tokyo Central launched various promotional activities, including $10 gift vouchers for the first 100 customers, lucky draw spinning wheels, free children’s balloons and stickers, and special limited-time offers. Early in the morning on the opening day, hundreds of customers lined up outside the store, and when the doors opened at 10 a.m., people entered the store in an orderly manner to shop.
Many customers present at the opening gave positive reviews of the new store. Customer Leona Miller mentioned that she works in sales and enjoys exploring food cultures from different countries. Upon hearing about the opening of Tokyo Central in the East Bay, she brought her daughter to experience it. She found the store’s wide range of products, especially Japanese delicacies and snacks, to be excellent, providing a good opportunity for her child to experience different cultures.
The company mentioned that currently their stores are primarily concentrated in California, and they will continue to assess market demands for gradually expanding their presence. Their core philosophy of “Eat, Enjoy, Explore—Bring Japan to Your Table” focuses on deepening local connections to introduce Japanese cuisine and lifestyle culture to more American consumers.