Under the bright fluorescent lights of Osaka Marketplace, an open cooler filled with an array of onigiri held customers in a trance. There were only a few of the Japanese rice snacks left, but shoppers methodically scanned each basket before grabbing what was left and placing it into their carts. Just beyond the fridge, more snacks awaited in every corner of the specialty market.
On a recent Friday evening, Osaka buzzed with customers wandering by the grab-and-go aisle that also included sushi and bento box containers during the busy dinner rush, when ready-to-eat meals were 20% off. The popular discount doesn’t have a set schedule, but typically begins around 4 or 5 p.m. And while Osaka is technically not a discount grocery store, several of its items were marked off during the early evening rush.
Osaka Marketplace has been a haven for Japanese goods and hard-to-find items ever since it opened on Warm Springs Boulevard in Fremont four years ago. The Bay Area-born grocery store is known for its selection of imported goods like rice, soy sauce and premium wagyu beef, but also for its mini food hall, which features ramen dishes among other meals as well as the market’s aforementioned grab-and-go sections.
“Osaka is a city in Japan known for its love of food and entertainment. Our mission is to make our customers’ daily lives more enjoyable, happy, and fulfilling through delicious experiences,” Osaka Marketplace owner Kazuhiro Takeda told SFGATE in translation via email. “… We offer fresh fish delivered weekly by air from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market … and seasonal fruits like fresh melons and strawberries.”…