Gyomu Super and Why it's my New Favorite Grocery Store

Gyomu Super has become my new go to supermarket for weekly, and sometimes daily groceries. Cheap food for less? Count me in. 

If you're like me and familiar with Aldi Markets and Trader Joe's from the USA, then Gyomu Super will feel amazingly familiar. I've been calling it the Japanese love child of those two stores. 

Gyomu sells a lot of items under their own brand, they do not accept credit cards, and they have their own manufacturing and production places so they can cut out much of the middle man expenses. Meaning, what you pay is less than what you might pay at some of the bigger chain stores. Perfect for those of us looking to stretch our paychecks and save on the food budgets. 

The store footprint is a fraction of the size of an Aeon or other super market, but Gyomu is packed with stuff! The interior looks and feels more like a warehouse sometimes than a proper store, but that's only because many of the products are displayed right from their cardboard boxes or are a piled high on shelves or on top of freezer cases. Every corner is filled with merchandise. 

But perhaps one of my favorite things about this store is the fact that they sell a surprisingly large amount of import and halal items! At mine, there are brands I recognize from back home in the USA, I know they sell Brazilian, Thai, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, and a few others I know I'm missing. While the selection isn't huge, the prices mean you don't have to feel guilty for splurging on those cookies, kimchi, or frozen strawberries. They have items in large sized, bulk containers for cheap which is nice when you're trying to refill a depleted pantry. I can pick up decent peanut butter, pasta sauce, Chinese sauces, and green tea all with the knowledge that it's reputable brands.

Gyomu Super is the cheapest grocery store I've discovered. Yes, sometimes the Max Value, or Mega Don Quijote have items on sale for cheaper, but consistently and overall, Gyomu has the lowest full priced items. Vegetables, natto, meat, rice, snacks, sauces, and frozen goods are all noticeably cheaper than other supermarkets. Their prices allow me to stick within my weekly food budget without reducing my menu to cabbage and carrot soup all month.

There are only about 810 stores throughout Japan, so if you're fortunate enough to be near one, I recommend stopping in to check it out!