Japanese Grocery Haul: What I Buy in One Week

Not sure what to buy at a Japanese grocery store? In this post, I’m sharing a weekly grocery haul for my family of four. I usually do one big grocery shop on the weekend and pick up fresh ingredients for the week ahead. I hope this gives you some ideas for your next Japanese grocery shopping trip!

Watch the Video

In the video, you can see everything I bought, as well as how I stored and prepared some of the ingredients for the week.

About This Grocery Haul

Here are a few details about this weekly grocery shop:

Family size: Four people
Season: Early July
Shopping frequency: Once a week
Stores: A local farmers’ market and a supermarket
Groceries for: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and bento

I didn’t need to buy every ingredient we would use that week. I already had staples such as rice, noodles, seasonings, and some pantry ingredients at home.

How Much I Spent

Here is the approximate cost by category:

Vegetables and fruit $45
Fish and seafood $35
Other groceries $27
Total About $107

Vegetables & Fruit

I bought all of the vegetables at a local farmers’ market, so they were fresh, locally grown, and perfect for summer cooking.

Spinach
Komatsuna
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Bell peppers
Shishito peppers
Eggplants
Fresh corn
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Cabbage
Green onions
Shiitake mushrooms
Shimeji mushrooms
Myoga
Peaches
Melon

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, and corn are some of my favorite seasonal vegetables. I also stocked up on basic vegetables like carrots, onions, potatoes, and green onions because I use them in many different meals.

Fish

These are all common fish in Japan, although some may be difficult to find outside the country.

Shio saba (salted mackerel): A rich, flavorful fish with tender flesh. This mackerel is already lightly salted.
Hokke: A mild white fish with soft, flaky flesh. It is a popular grilled fish in Japan.
Shishamo: A small, slender fish with a soft texture. It is usually eaten whole, including the head and bones.
Katsuo (skipjack tuna): A firm, meaty fish with a rich flavor. It is often eaten as sashimi or lightly seared.
Buri (yellowtail): A fatty, flavorful fish with firm flesh that is often cooked with teriyaki sauce.

How I Prepare Fish for the Freezer

Fresh fish has a short shelf life, so I prepare and freeze it soon after I get home.

For grilling later: I remove the fish from the supermarket trays and cut any large pieces into smaller portions. Then I place each type of fish in a separate freezer bag.
For marinating: I marinate the katsuo in soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, then coat and cook it later. For the buri, I use a simple mixture of soy sauce and mirin so it is ready to make teriyaki.

Other Weekly Groceries

I also picked up several other ingredients we needed:

Tofu
Eggs
Canned tuna
Cheese
Edamame
Chikuwa
Atsuage
Aburaage
Natto
Konnyaku
Banana

What I Made With These Groceries

In Part 2 (video coming soon), you can see the full meals, including the side dishes, salads, soups, and pickles I served each day. Here are some of the main dishes I made:

Fried rice and grilled hokke
Tofu and seafood curry
Pan-fried Katsuo
Grilled shishamo and vegetable tempura
Cold somen noodles
Buri teriyaki
Cold soba and fried salmon

Quick Recap

This is a realistic look at what I buy for my family in a typical week. I hope this grocery haul gives you a closer look at everyday Japanese home cooking.

Not sure what to buy? Check out my Japanese Grocery Shopping Guide below for more ideas and helpful ingredient tips.