So, after seeing numerous references to Gyomu supermarket on Reddit, I decided to check online if there was a branch near to where I live. To my surprise there was a branch 4 minutes from my regular home train station. I located it on a side street.
They don’t have a wide selection but things are definitely cheaper than AEON where I usually go. I picked a bunch of stuff and then went back the next day and picked up a bunch of more stuff. The frozen section is particularly good. I really like the Australian blackberry & apple pies. Also, the have a reasonable selection of European chocolate and snacks. And the 300 yen chicken bentou wasn’t bad.
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There are several Japanese YouTubers who make content about “the best from Gyomu” that week, or different dishes using products from Gyomu. FWIW!
I discovered gyomu the first time in 2010 when I was young and broke and I’ve been going there ever since. It even played a role when I decided which house I’m going to buy, I bought the one with a gyomu nearby. Gyomu’s the best.
Nice coincidence.
I recently checked out the Gyomu in my local area for the first time. A bit run down, customer demographic was a mixture of weirdos, local restaurant owners, really old people, tightwads like me…
The selection (at my local) was rather wide, their frozen produce on point (veg, meat, prepared meals) in terms of price and quantity, decent amount of fresh produce at more or less the going prices (maybe a little cheaper) and to my surprise are rather wide selection of imported stuff from SE Asian countries, a little bit of India, Mexico and some basic bitch Euro brands (including a good variety of pasta types). Interestingly, not much Brazilian stuff, but then again, I’m not in Aichi, so, checks out.
Overall, it felt like mini-Costco but without all the hassle and being able to stock up on frozens and non-perishables all in one place makes life so much easier for me (plus to get there, I can go basic route or even see some of the shadier streets my little 区 has to offer)
Generally recommend to learn the Japanese supermarket game if you are money conscious. There are many other budget supermarkets around (e.g. Niku no Hanamasa, Kanesue , OK). See which ones are in your area and compare their specialties. Price differences can be quite extreme.
Also, the big supermarkets can also have quite significant sales. E.g. Ito Yokado dropping bentos 50-70% in the evening and there is usually a lot of left overs, Seiyu also drops meat prices by quite a lot in the evening on certain days. If you have a small green grocer nearby, it’s definitely worth to check it out. Their prices for some vegetables absolutely crush the big supermarkets.
The gyomu supermarkets can have a different range of goods depending on their size. I regularly go to three gyomus near me that are about the same size and stock the same goods. Once I discovered a new, very large one on a day trip. They had products I had never seen before! So it’s worth checking out different branches.
Without the imported products from Europe and the Middle East, cooking would be a lot more limited for me!
I guess I’m in the minority here but I wasn’t very impressed. The prices weren’t *that* much better, especially if you know how to shop around, and the quality, at least for some items was really crap. I won’t be going back, at least not to the one near me.
I try to buy domestic meat and produce when possible which doesn’t usually mesh with Gyomu’s and Hanamasa’s discount prices.
For produce, green grocers are just as cheap and often better. For meat, you just have to keep an eye out for sales at cheaper supermakets like OK.
Gyoumu is great, but there’s a learning curve. The frozen pork was kinda nasty. The frozen chicken tenders were fine. The tofu and butter are good and cheap. Most dry goods and snacks are great, except for the wafer cookies, whose cream is unpleasantly greasy.
I remember their ready-made curry fondly. Thanks for the memory 🙂
Gyomu is ok, but was much better last year.
They removed lots of products and increased prices for others.
Wait until you discover “Japan Meat”.
They still have Thai coconut 400 ml milk cans for 99 yen, and a great selection on other stuff, as meat and vegs.
But nothing can beat “Super Aizawa”, just too bad it’s just in a specific area.
I found 2 kg real bacon for 500 yen there!
I like Gyomu and I live within 10 minutes walk from there.
Though stuff can be a hit or miss for me, as it is a discount store. I bought karaage and ra-yu from there that were nasty.
Though I bought some hash browns from there the other day and they were really good.
Gyomu super (or A-price and so on) are good for stuff like frozen meats, bulk seasonings and so on.
But for fresh vegetables and fruit we find farmer’s markets to be much better (the actual markets, not the rest-stop places that focus on tourists). The selection is mainly limited to whatever the local farmers are bringing in that day, but it’s way cheaper than any store (I saw 10kg carrots for 800 yen in one market this winter) and often harvested the same morning.
We go to 3-4 different markets since different areas grow different stuff. One may have lots of greens, another has the best water melons when in season, another one is the place for dragon fruit and mikan, and so on. We go to one, pick up whatever looks good, then decide on what we’ll eat the next few days based on that.
Yeah, the rub of the Gyomu super is that products come and go even more so than regular supermarkets. I mentioned in a similar thread how my two main Gyomu purchases, calzones and pita, have disappeared from mine. But they still stock the yummy hummus, just to rub it in that the pitas are gone. But still different and cheaper options for salsa, big bags of tortilla chipa, pasta sauces, etc. And a rather authentic American apple pie (from Holland.) And lots of Asian knock-offs of Western snack food. Right now I am hooked on the Mesopotamian bulghur they sell, especially since I try to avoid the flavorless nutrition-free Japanese white rice.
Heard lots of good things about it so wish there is one nearby. The closest one for me is about an hour train ride where I live and I don’t own a car. 🙁
Gyomu is great!
Gyomu can vary pretty greatly in size and what they have. For those just checking it out, maybe try a different one if you’re disappointed with your first one 🙂
OK store is also great for many things, as is Niku no Hanamasa.
AEON is a racket, I will only go there if I really need an ingredient I forgot while cooking (usually that’s sour cream when I’m making chili) I’ve found things there cost 300-400¥ more
They are great for frozen goods and spices imo. Most of the refrigerated stuff seems a little sus to me.
My mom came to visit me and went into Gyomu alone. She cried because she thought I was having to fight weekly for food from boxes to survive, lmao.
Here’s a tip:
For some reason, their frozen bratwurst style sausages are killer for BBQ. 8 sausages cost only 1000 Yen or so iirc and they’re so much better than any other sausage you can buy in Japanese supermarkets.
My wife generally hits the Gyomu super once a week or so, generally only buys specific stuff. She says it’s definitely cheaper, but quality can vary, so she generally only buys stuff where quality isn’t that critical (think cans of kidney beans for chili or something).
Gyomu is worth going to simply for the frozen section – the pie sheets (from one of the Baltic countries whose products are showing up in Japan more and more. And the Korean spinach pancakes, and the paratha… Quick and easy and tasty. The jams are good too,
Sadly, in my case the only Gyomu in my city are a car ride or a subway+bus ride away, so I hardly ever go.
Well worth a visit, especially around Christmas, when they have those lovely ginger biscuits in.
It’s all about that Cinamoni, their version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. As a cereal lover, I was so happy to find gyomu super. The bags are like 100円 each and they taste delicious.
I might have to finally check them out. They just look so run down and terrible though.
I like the Vietnamese condensed milk they have. Taste like American condensed milk.
I always buy dry fruits, honey and cheap soap and wet sheets there.
Gyoumu Super is the bees knees. It’s a bit of a trek for me, but I go there whenever I can.
I reccomend the tortillas, pirata, salsa, corn chips, hot sauce, Belgian waffles, olive bruschetta, bagels, organic honey & tiramisu to name a few. Lots options for a lot of different tastes, it definitely made rural living easier for me !
Goysu rocks. Hard to go in and not leave with too many things.
I’ve never heard of it before. They apparently only have one in my ward, and it’s nowhere near where I live, unfortunately.
I always buy fish at gyomu. One of the only supermarkets that has them already deboned and frozen.