Grocery Stores in Japan

I wanted to show you some of the differences you may find in the grocery stores in Japan versus many of the large grocery chains in the U.S.  As you can see there is much more of an open market atmosphere.  And you can just pick what you want, place it in a container and go.  When you check out the cashier gives you chop sticks, mustard/ketchup, etc. depending on what you have selected.

Notice the fish.  You can reach out and touch them.  Just take what you need...

In one of our first posts, I mentioned the grocery stores were full of individual portions.  People come here to grab lunch or dinner.  It's very common (and not McDonalds!).  Here is a sampling of the variety you can grab for your meal.