Japanese Food Stores

Woori: This used to be called little Tokyo Market Place, don't let the name change confuse you, it's still the culinary king of Japanese food stores. If you're looking for sushi grade fish, you've hit the jackpot. The fish section carries all the best sushi cuts} Tuna, Mackerel, Salmon, Yellowtail, Squid, Unagi, Uni, and Octopus. The cuts are sold ready-to-go in small packages; you don't need to buy a whole fish, pull out the ginzu knife and try to figure out how to fillet a slippery ocean creature. Just go to Woori, get the fish, the seaweed wrap, season with wasabi and your favorite soy sauce, cook up the rice and you're DONE.

A Japanese boutique grocery store. Carries a wide range of the best sake, from the everyday to the pricey Kubota Manju Junmai Daiginjo which retails at $198 for 1.8L. You can also find packaged Japanese food items, cooking equipment like a mochi maker, ceramic sweet potato maker and of course rice cookers and sushi making kits. www.marukai.com
 

The chain Japanese food stores are more like convenience stores than supermarkets. The Little Tokyo store is small and carries stuff like organic sashimi fish, nori, bento platters, snacks, fresh seafood, vegetables and tea. www.nijiya.com