8 best shops to buy Japanese foodstuff and condiments in Tokyo

Akomeya's flagship store in Kagurazaka's trendy La Kagu warehouse is a foodie's dream come true. While it’s best known as a rice speciality shop, Akomeya also offers an overwhelming range of packaged food goods as well as beautiful Japanese kitchenware and tableware. Great gift items include beautifully packaged rice that you can purchase by weight, as well as packaged goods like candies, miso paste, various seasonings, soup stocks, tea and preserves.

This four-storey mall in Asakusa offers a large variety of food and lifestyle goods from all of Japan's 47 prefectures. The first floor supermarket boasts a diverse selection of food and drink: think soy sauce, miso, senbei rice crackers, sake and much more. Grab a few for a taste test comparison and you’ll definitely notice each of the prefecture’s distinctive flavours.

At the adjoining food market you’ll find speciality shops selling natural honey from Ehime, aromatic coffee from Tottori and smoked seafood from Tokushima prefecture.

This restaurant-shop is best known for its healthy brown rice lunch sets (which can attract quite the queue), but don't leave without browsing the adjoining grocery store that stocks spices, seasonings, snacks and rice from all over Japan. We particularly love the packaged nukadoko (fermented rice bran), which you can use to make your very own tsukemono pickles. There’s even a lovely selection of domestic wine and sake.

Today’s Special in Jiyugaoka is an emporium for gorgeous kitchenware and premium foodstuff. The theme of the store is ‘Food and Living DIY’, and walking into the shop really does feel like stepping into your dream kitchen, complete with amazing tableware and an abundance of herbs and plants.

The stock here is rotated seasonally, but you can expect to find all sorts of packaged cookies and sweets as well as tea and coffee with equipment to match. Depending on the season, you might even find dried noodles, bottled soup stocks and curry pastes.

The massive Ginza flagship store is more than just your average Muji. The entire first floor is dedicated to food including fresh produce, frozen meals, a custom tea-blending station and even an onsite bakery. The Ginza shop also has some limited-edition items you can’t find elsewhere, like cute little drawstring bags you can fill with Muji’s famous snacks. One of the best gifts you can get here is a custom tea blend, which you can create at the designated station and even have it gift wrapped to boot.

If you find yourself scrambling at Tokyo Station for last-minute gifts, stop by the Kinokuniya Entrée located right outside the paid area of the JR ticketing gates. Here you’ll find all sorts of tasty items including beautifully packaged gifts like senbei rice crackers, candies and fruit jams. If that wasn’t enough, you can even pick up ready-to-eat food like bento lunch boxes and fresh onigiri rice balls for your shinkansen ride.

This restaurant lets you travel Japan through your taste buds by serving up meals with ingredients sourced from all of Japan's 47 prefectures. However, you don’t have to eat-in to enjoy the experience. The front of the restaurant doubles as a shop from where you can purchase some of the ingredients used in the meals. You can often find a mix of beautiful tableware and other kitchen accessories as well. Before you leave, stop by the D47 Museum (located across the hall), where you can find exhibitions showcasing items from all 47 prefectures.

When you think of Pierre Hermé, beautiful macarons and other immaculately crafted desserts come to mind. However, Made in Pierre Hermé does things a bit differently, as it functions more as a casual café where you can nosh on sandwiches, muffins and other pastries.

But tear yourself away from this delightful dining area and you’ll find an array of ingredients and other packaged food items created in cooperation with Hermé and local producers across Japan. Pick up beautifully packaged cookies, pickles, salad dressings, gourmet mayonnaise, bottled juice and even rice.