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Where to find cheap Veggies & fruit in Japan?
Japan is well known for its extremely expensive fruits - but there are ways to get fruits relatively cheap...
We all probably have seen the extrem fruit prices in Japan on Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat. With prices going high as 20.000 ¥ for one melon or 5000 ¥ for some peaches – getting your vitamins might be a bit tricky. But why is this and where can you find some cheap fruits and vegetable?
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Why are Japanese fruits and vegetables to expensive?
There are several factors that play into the prices.
- The gift-giving culture of Japan
- Strict regulations on size, color and taste (from the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative)
- The seasonal availabilty
The gift-giving culture of Japan
Giving fruits as a sign of respect and loyalty to the high ranked militaries or teachers can be traced back all the way till the 14th century.
Today fruits are still considered as a precious gift & luxury and not ‘just a snack’ as in most parts of the world. You would give perfect looking and nicely wrapped fruits to loved ones, your boss or mentor.
Received fruit gifts will often be shown to other visitors by displaying them as decoration in the houses.
The farmers effort & strict regulations
JA – the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative – gives very strict rules about how fruits should look like regarding size & color and how they should taste like. These rules need to be obeyed if you are buying fruits with the purpose of reselling them. Like supermarkets do. So all the fruits you can find in the supermarket are sticking to these rules.
In order to get these “perfect” looking fruits and vegetables the farmers need to put a lot of effort in growing them. Furthermore as the rules are so strict and fruits and vegetables are a product from the nature there will be many that will not meet these standards and therefore cannot be sold to supermarkets. The revenue a farmer makes on the “few” he can sell therefore needs to be higher.
The seasonal availabilty
Most fruits and veggies are seasonal so they are not available all year around and with Japan being an island imported goods are more expensive. The Import of non seasonal food is therefore more expensive.
Due to this knowing farmers and supermarkets charge a high price for those veggies and fruits when they are sold.
So how and where do I find cheap fruits & vegetables?
There are several options for you to still get your fruits and vegetables without paying a fortune:
- Farmers markets
- Reduced (cut up) fruits/veggies at late hours in supermarkets
- Frozen fruits / veggies
Farmers markets
Finding farmers markets is easiest if you have a car and travel through the rural areas of Japan. Use Google Maps to find a farmers market near your area. Many farms have tiny stands next to their farm lands where you can take the fruits/veggies you want and leave the money in a small box. So bring cash!
Furthermore many “Michi-no-Eki” (road side stations) do have little shops that sell fruits and vegetables for the farmers from the region. These stations are everywhere along the express roads. They are all listed on their website and can easily be searched for. The website is sadly only available in Japanese – but a translator will help you here.
Reduced (cut up) fruits/veggie at late hours in the supermarkets
Supermarkets often offer small fruit salads/plates and in the evenings (mostly after 7pm or 8pm) those not yet sold prepared plates are getting reduced. Many times up to 50% discount. It is still expensive coming from a price often around 2000 ¥ (~17€ / $) for the bigger plates but are still the cheaper option than to buy multiple fruits by themselves.
Frozen fruits / veggies
Supermarkets often have frozen fruits and veggies. As they are cut up they need to be “less perfect” and therefore will be cheaper.
My favorite supermarket is called “Gyomu” (業務スーパー) or “You Palette” – they have a big range of cheap frozen veggies and fruits. These supermarkets are always cheap and offer quiet a lot of variety.
>> Click here for a store locator 🙂
You got yourself all set up for your trip in Japan 🙂
Thanks for reading! See you soon, Toni! |
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