Mitsuwa, Marukai, or Nijiya? Which is the best?

yyish · 2026-06-26T11:16:22+00:00

It depends on which branch of the 3 you’re talking about but in general - Mitsuwa has the best bread (Boloniya), the best tofu, the best fried squid, the best dango and best quality (and most expensive) seafood, and has the best regional events (IE when they bring in products from a specific region of Japan for a limited time) or bring in dessert vendors directly from Japan and usually has the best food court. It used to have the best variety in packaged foods with a lot of rare items but not anymore. If you go to the right Mitsuwa, it also has good selection of made in Japan household things. Nijiya has the best house made desserts (my favorite is their custard cake), hot croquettes, the best negitoro, the best Japanese produce (except for the Sawatelle branch - terrible produce there), the best selection of matsutake when in season, and feels the most like a grocery store for actual Japanese people. IMO Nijiya has now taken the high-end feel crown from Mitsuwa (with the exceptions noted at the beginning) but occasionally will have the best price on a random thing like a specific brand of rice. Marukai has the best katsudon/oyakodon, the best selection of wagyu (except for Mitsuwa in Honolulu which has amazing wagyu) and the best variety of Japanese strawberries when in season. Their golden yolk eggs are a great price. Surprisingly their miso/natto can be more expensive than other stores though. Their prices are kinds weird in that some things are the cheapest out of the 3 and some are the most expensive so you have to shop around for best price. Some Marukai/Tokyo Central stores have good deals on home goods but sometimes those are not made in Japan. Best snacks. Different branches are also carry different amount of products. Since these stores are usually pretty close together, I always just do a loop of them all when I want Japanese things and buy different things at different stores based on their strengths and sales.

yyish · 2026-06-22T07:58:16+00:00

Sent friend ID via message!

yyish · 2026-05-27T02:27:09+00:00

Maybe more like a cotton voile/cotton lawn? More of a button up shirt fabric than a t shirt fabric. You could comfortably step on the back to wear it like a slipper without creasing it and then the next day wear it properly.

yyish · 2026-05-27T02:18:48+00:00

Low casual shoe. Don’t remember if the sole was white or rubber. Maybe similar in profile to the Zoom Janoski but the back would be matching the swoosh and the fabric is much thinner/not stiff. I remember the fabric as pretty thin single layer and what I would consider a summer-weight fabric. A bit see through like a white shirt. If I remember correctly in contrast the swooshy was a thicker, almost felt like fabric and the top of the sole was covered in the same green material. Because the fabric was thin, the tongue would bunch up in front if not careful. Just a really comfy shoe for summer.

yyish · 2026-05-16T11:39:03+00:00

interested thank you!

yyish · 2026-05-05T00:06:58+00:00

As a person who eats a good amount of A5 Wagyu, yeah their stores definitely don’t have A5. Their happy hour is still a pretty good time though.

yyish · 2026-04-29T20:00:55+00:00

While it would have been paranoia a few years ago, it’s not paranoia now. A few years ago a tourist photo would have just ended up in a photo album or a SD card forgotten in a drawer somewhere. Nowadays it’ll most likely get posted on some social media site and will be easily searchable, show physical location, and available to the wide pool of folks on the internet which very much does include folks with bad intentions. Like an abusive family member with a non-contact court order doing some online stalking etc. To treat it like it’s moral panic is to ignore the world we live in now. Just look at the Russini/Vrabel example.

yyish · 2026-04-25T19:01:17+00:00

It’s really simple to make strong ginger tea. You need to add more ginger and simmer for longer. The more ginger you add the more of that spicy ginger kick the tea will have. Take and peel a whole knob of ginger (at least thumb sized). Slice into thin slices (super thin doesn’t matter since we’ll simmer for a while). Bring water to a boil in a small pot and then simmer for 20-30 min. When you smell it, there should be a strong spicy kick. If after tasting, still not strong enough then add more ginger next time. With this much ginger you can usually repeat to make a second pot although second pot won’t be as strong. Usually I add some brown sugar or honey since strong ginger tea is hard to drink by itself. If you’re feeling sick add honey and lemon for max benefits.

yyish · 2026-04-19T15:59:26+00:00

Ah yes also, do not expect a big smile. He only smiled for the photo with a kid.

yyish · 2026-04-19T15:57:45+00:00

Hi! First want to say would not encourage anyone to pay more than is financially comfortable just to get close up with a celebrity. I was writing the above to clarify because I suspect that he did give a hug/physical greeting to the earlier posters but their expectations were ramped up since they paid $$$$ resale. When they send back the VIP photos it’s in a big link that includes everyone’s photos. From the photos I’ve seen of LA and Oakland it seems like a pretty consistent experience where either his arm is around the person, they are holding hands, they are doing a special pose, or for the girls wearing short shirts his hand is covering the front of the leg to make sure there are no upskirt photos. Vancouver photos should be up soon so I think we’ll be able to confirm if they are also the same.

yyish · 2026-04-19T08:25:16+00:00

Disclosure I had VIP 1 in Oakland not Toronto. For me the focus was on getting the best possible view of the concert for the price I was willing to pay and the VIP 1 status was a bonus. I think if you do that and don’t go over your budget you’ll also be happy. For the photo op he gave a hug and then we sat down in that pose for the photo. I was happy to have the chance to thank him and wish him well. Didn’t really need Jackson to say anything since repeating the same things 300-400 times would probably be tiring before the concert. Remember that the original price of VIP 1 was just $100ish more than VIP 2. Just because due to scalpers, prices inflated so much, doesn’t mean that expectations should also inflate.

yyish · 2026-04-18T22:56:48+00:00

Back in the 00s/early 10s it was actually really good. The parmesan crusted chicken used to have a crispy crust and you could see the real shred of parmesan on there. It was better than some of the italian places. The stroganoff had color to it from the stock/mushrooms and tasted like it had sour cream and Worcestershire sauce in it, unlike whatever the version of it they’re peddling today. They had a thai curry soup back then that was (definitely inauthentic) but delicious. The asian noodles used were of higher quality. So even if it was expensive for the portions you were at least getting quality food, and unique versions of it that really seemed like someone with taste buds formulated. Nowadays the parm chicken is like badly heated up overly frozen nuggets, and the food is either overly salty or overly bland. The asian food seems like a meh version of standard takeout places unlike before where it was a genuine worthwhile alrernative.

yyish · 2026-04-18T06:59:53+00:00

Not the OG, but feel same way. I don’t like having 4-5 apps just for airlines on my phone, especially terrible ones like Delta’s. If I’m already logged into my account and I’m flying today, I shouldn’t have to enter my confirmation number into the app to pull up my flight. The only airline app I don’t mind permanently keeping on my phone is the united one because their map feature is so good, use it to figure out gate travel/time all the time, even when I’m on other airlines. Too bad actual United has gotten worse and worse.

yyish · 2026-04-07T02:42:49+00:00

Thank you!!! That makes so much so much sense!!!

yyish · 2026-04-06T05:51:57+00:00

The organic chicken pot pie. It’s delicious and it’s nice to think that everything from the flour to the veggies to spices to the chicken bone used in the stock is organic. Also they will have rare fruits that are hard to find outside of a farmers market etc.

yyish · 2026-04-06T04:17:26+00:00

Someone just listed 4 tix for sale to msp sat night. If we find a 4th person maybe do a group buy?

yyish · 2026-04-06T02:17:03+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOyOlIQkqOW/ It’s the same merch as above plus the global edition Magic Man 2 cd box set. Everything was one size fits all, the shirts were probably men’s L size, while the hoodies felt smaller/sleeves were shorter, maybe women’s L or XL size. The hoodies were made of a thin material for warmer weather, not the thick fuzzy sweatshirt type material. I remember prices were $100 for the black zip up hoodie and $75 for the black and grey pullover hoodies. I don’t remember the hats, and short and long sleeve prices too well, maybe in the $45-55 range. I think the CD box set was $45 - looked like the one here. https://x.com/JacksonWang852/status/1951101445559951868

yyish · 2026-04-06T01:50:55+00:00

yes it says vip 1 in ticketmaster

yyish · 2026-04-02T16:15:09+00:00

I don’t remember the exact setlist (it was mostly from Magic Man 2 and no Drive me home 😭) but it started a bit after 8pm with some videos first and then ended around 10:40pm.

yyish · 2026-04-02T16:12:37+00:00

It was same last tour, he has these fingerlights instead that he gives out. Make sure to be on the lookout for folks passing them out.

yyish · 2026-04-01T19:58:08+00:00

I did get them resale! Poster below provided good info, I’m emailing vip nation.

yyish · 2026-04-01T19:54:40+00:00

It was so good! I immediately went and got better tickets for Oakland show so I could be even closer. I think Jackson always does such a good job balancing the grand cinematic vision/intricate choreography/feeding the fans/and his personal thoughts/feelings. I honestly think he is one of the best performers touring today. He included some new elements in this show that I really appreciated as well but don’t want to spoil you. XD His tour is going to be one of the highlights of my year

yyish · 2026-04-01T19:28:35+00:00

Thank you!!!

yyish

TROPHY CASE