Costco Saitama

Great range, convenient location - it gets busy though!

Costco is one of those places that affords a lot of us a taste of home while we're in Japan. Membership sets you back 4400 yen per year, but as long as you use it regularly I think it is a small price to pay for the amount of products that you have access to. They have everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, salmon and other fish, loads of meat (think trays of bulgogi, fresh ground meats and more!) and even apparel, furniture and household items. The only real downside is that it's virtually always busy here - even during the week. If you are planning to do a big Costco run I'd highly recommend going first thing in the morning on the day you plan to go - and if you can avoid it, try not to go on a Sunday. It's madness on weekends (Sundays especially!) and it made me try and stick to weekday visits when possible. They take cash only!