http://www.city-cost.comThu, 20 Aug 2026 05:42:44 +0900First time ESL teacher living in the small city of Toyohashi in Japan. Trying to adjust to living life as an expat in a country where I still can't read the menuenCopyright © 2015 - 2026 City-Cost All Rights Reserved.webmaster@city-cost.com (CC Team)http://img.city-cost.com/static/blog_campaign_icon.pnghttp://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MAmvv-food_aichiI don't get it. Back home, I'm used to loading my shopping cart up with cans of veggies, glass jars of condiments, and more glass bottles and hard plastic containers of sauces for my daily grocery shopping. But since being here, I've noticed the Japanese don't share the same love for glass containers.For the first time today I picked up a bottle of ketchup (because I figured four months without it was long enough and I wanted some to put on my home fries tomorrow for breakfast.) And instead of the Heinz hard plastic container, I found a squishy plastic bottle inside a plastic bag instead. I don't see the need for a plastic wrapper in the first place, and then the bottle itself is almost a soft like plastic.I've seen plenty of condiments and sauces in similar containers, and it just strikes me as a cultural quirk. I don't know why the Japanese grocery stores favor this type of bottle over glass. I know I'll buy more bottles like this but in a weird way, these bottles feel like a balloon about to pop.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MAmvv-food_aichiSun, 14 Jul 2019 09:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MAmvv-food_aichihttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MY5eL-living_food_toyohashi_shi_aichiGyomu 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!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MY5eL-living_food_toyohashi_shi_aichiSat, 01 Jun 2019 00:40:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MY5eL-living_food_toyohashi_shi_aichihttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MdR5O-food_nagoya_shi_aichi_toyohashi_shi_aichiDuring one of my private English lessons, I was talking with my student, playing a get to know you game since he is new and I asked question about tea. Specifically, what's your favorite tea?He looked at me, clearly thinking hard about it, but said "I don't know." I tried asking again, rephrasing it and asking a silly question, thinking he was just nervous. Finally he responded saying that he had a favorite, but didn't know what it was called in English. I told him that was okay, tell me in Japanese."Mugicha."Since I'm not allowed my phone during these sessions, I couldn't look it up, but I nodded enthusiastically and told him that sounded really good. I wrote it down in my notebook though to look into later.After the day ended, I stopped by my local Don Quijote to pick a few things up and remembered the tea. I wandered down the tea aisle in search of this mugicha and found a big bag of tea bags which I promptly threw in my basket. I finished my shopping, checked out, and headed home, completely forgetting to actually look up what this mugicha was.Back in my apartment, settled in for the night, I brewed a big mug of it, completely not knowing what to expect. Taking my first hesitant sip, I realized it was a very familiar taste. I couldn't place the actual taste, but I knew I had had it before. Google to the rescue.Mugicha is roasted barley tea.Of course! I had it in different restaurants along side a big bowl of steaming ramen or whatever was being served. I Just never had a name for that flavor of drink.Mugicha is made from roasting barley and then steeping those roasted grains in hot water, the same way you'd make tea. It doesn't taste like tea per se, but it has a nice toasted, nutty flavor that tastes good warm or iced. Better yet, because is made from grains, its naturally caffeine free!Supposedly mugicha has a slew of other health benefits including:- helps with blood flow and circulation- natural sleep aid because barley contains melatonin- supports good digestion- contains some antioxidantsAll this and no caffeine. I'm sold. Usually my impulse purchases are far less healthy than this. With summer coming soon, I am going to give it a try iced, since that's an extremely popular way to drink it in Japan, especially during the hot summers. I'm hoping mine will taste similar to the pitchers of this stuff in my favorite restaurants!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MdR5O-food_nagoya_shi_aichi_toyohashi_shi_aichiSat, 18 May 2019 22:48:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Allison/MdR5O-food_nagoya_shi_aichi_toyohashi_shi_aichi