Marukai

I lived in Japan and this store just brings back so many memories of all the goodies and mysteries of walking into a Japanese market. I don’t know what they are so I rely mostly on the photos and sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s a fail but this is one store that the phrase, «going to a candy store» truly applies. So many many interesting stuff, so many many different stuff to try and explore, they even have Hawaiian dry food and frozen as well and stuff to make sushi and sukiyaki, little Japanese plates and cups and appliances, the list goes on and on… I would’ve given them a 5 star but I don’t get the membership fee??? Since I don’t come here enough, I just pay the one time fee which is minimal.

Wow, this place is amazing. I wonder why I haven’t been coming here regularly, considering I drive by here all the time. I didn’t have as much time to explore every section of this store as I’d like, so will definitely update my review after future visits, but based on this first visit, I’m definitely impressed. I like the large parking lot, and large space of basically everything «Japanese» that you could need so I was in love with this place! I loved the food court in the front with many different options for quick bites including karage, ramen, sushi, etc. I will definitely be eating at some of these spots very soon. Once you walk in, you see all kinds of things from office supplies to kitchen wear then you walk into the market. I was a bit disappointed by the produce section as I’m used to seeing more variety of fruits and veggies at other Asian markets. I did like all the meats for shabu, sukiyaki, etc. and they have all the sauces for this too… time to plan a shabu/​hot pot night. I liked the big variety of green tea and Japanese snacks they had here. If you become a member for $ 1, you can pay the member prices, which is totally worth it.
Marukai, I will be back soon, and I can’t wait!

I love it here, despite it’s crazy organization. They have pretty good deals. When u compare the prices w/​Mitsuwa, u can tell Marukai is more affordable. The ppl are friendly. I like how they have a large Hawaiian section and liquor section. Marukai gets mad props for having canned Chu-​Hai. This was the first time I saw canned Chu-​Hai in the US. We’ll be back even tho Marukai is over 30 mins away. Mata-​né!

Marukai is definitely one of my favorite markets to stop by whenever I’m in town. It has a huge selection of, well, everything. They got a food court! They got a grocery department. They’ve got a beauty department. They’ve got a kitchen department. They even got a furniture department!
The last time I was in town, we went inside Marukai to look around. We found some bowls for $ 3 each and they were good quality! I even found the snacks that I’ve been looking for ever since my trip to Japan that I couldn’t find elsewhere! They have tons of candy selection from Japan, ranging from different flavored kit-​kat (raspberry, green tea, dark chocolate) to the new mini hi-​chews that were only available in Japan until now!
If we lived in the area, I think I would buy even more! Like grocery items and what not. Things here are a little bit pricey but that is probably because majority of them are directly from Japan.
They have a membership card for this place. I believe the card also works at Tokyo Central as they are affiliated or one in the same, I’m not too sure. If you don’t have one, you just have to pay $ 1 when you check out. However, the last time I bought something, they didn’t charge the $ 1 so I’m not 100% how it works.

Yes this place is pretty pricey but they have authentic Japanese food. I grew up in a Japanese household and community all my life so when I say authentic, I mean authentic.
It’s cool because it’s a great fusion of both Japanese & Hawaiian. I’m not so sure about how authentic the Hawaiian side is.
Food court is pretty decent and parking is pretty easy to find. The food court is relatively peaceful and not too loud (depending on what time you go).
My favorite day to come is on Sunday because they give out so much free samples. With one round me and my Dad get pretty full! It’s also a great way to try different types of Japanese food if you’re not too familiar with the culture!

This is not my usual market run, but I like browsing and shopping when I have a craving for Japanese or Hawaiian food items.
This Marukai location used to require an annual membership for about $ 15.00 in order to shop, but that’s no longer the case. There are some member-​only sale prices, but a one-​day membership for $ 1.00 will take care of that. Otherwise, anyone can walk in and shop.
There’s a nice variety of produce, fish, meat, condiments, alcohol (including a large selection of sake), and cute gift items. I especially like the local Hawaiian food items such as kalua pork and lau lau, mochi crunch, li hing seeds, macadamia nut cookies, etc. There’s no need to have my relatives sending care packages from Hawaii with Marukai close by. I usually leave with a bunch of snacks.
Around the holidays, they have a lot of Japanese cookies in gift boxes on sale!
There’s also a separate food court to the right when you enter the market. They don’t let you take your shopping cart into the food court, so if you’re planning to eat there, you might want to do it first.

I hadn’t been to Marukai in years! I used to come with my first love, who is part Japanese. I decided to stop by since the Enterprise I just visited is in close proximity.
Japanese stores are always so neat and clean! Everything is facing the right way and in its proper place. And they have a bunch of stuff I don’t need but makes me happy! Ha!
I WILL be back for a phone case, extra fun false lashes, and for gyoza skin — I’ll try to make that again!

Awesome customer service.
The employees here take their time to thoroughly help customers.
We purchased some tatami and bedding. We never had to lift-​a-​finger. They did it all for us. They were happy to help.
The two gentlemen that loaded the items to the truck were careful to secure it and strap all the goods.
The prices are very reasonable compared to other places.
This is a place I recommend.

Membership store but if you don’t have a membership it’s only $ 1 for a day membership. It’s place where you can get a lot of Japanese goodies at reasonable price.

This is like a one stop Japanese, cheap, but not quite $.99 cent store, with kitchenware, office supplies, home goods, and last but not least, grocery! I wasn’t particularly interested in anything other than the grocery store on my visit, but was very pleased with my purchases!
— MATCHA!!! If you love matcha because I LOVE matcha… you should definitely come here. They all have kinds of matcha goodies, from matcha oreos, to matcha kitkats, matcha cookies, etc.
— Good quality seafood and sushi! If you come here at around closing time, they discount the sushi and sometimes other goods at 20% off since it has to be sold or either thrown away that day.
*If you don’t have a Marukai membership you can pay for a day use at $ 1, which is seriously worth it if you’re looking to buy a things you can’t really get elsewhere.

Marukai is great place to find Asian merchandise that you may only see in Japan, China, etc.
There wide array of rice and teas are mind blowing. Genuine Oolong tea from China is my favorite Chinese tea while authentic Genmai is my favorite Japanese tea from Japan… and I can pick up both in 1 store? AWESOME SAUCE!
They also have a big selection of hawaiian products too. The yummy Hawaiian Sun brand is here. From Guava Nectar to Liikoi and even Island and Tropical Iced Teas.
The dishes area has a great selection of Japanese inspired bowls, chopsticks and soup spoons.
Looking for a gift and on a budget? I recently picked up a house warming gift for a friend here.
5 Japanese ramen bowls =$ 1 each bowl = $ 5
1 pack of fancy chopsticks = $ 2.99/pack of 5 = $ 2.99
5 asian soup spoons = $ 1 each spoon = $ 5
1 cool looking bag = $ 2.99
total = $ 15.98 before tax
Hey! For that price, you can even throw in a 6 pack of ramen for $ 2.99!
Great deal in anyone’s book.
Check out my taste made video of Marukai Market

This is one of the closest markets to Long Beach that sells sashimi grade fish. I was feeling ambitious the other day and decided to have a homemade udon and sushi night. Unfortunately, I don’t know of a market that sells sashimi grade salmon by my house in Long Beach. I contemplated whether it was worth going to Gardena just to get some groceries. But the craving was strong and I was a woman on a mission, so I ended up deciding to go here. It’s a cute little market with a good variety of Asian goodies. I was really impressed by the section of goodies to make sushi. $ 20 for a pound of sashimi grade salmon sounds kind of steep, but it’s still plenty cheaper than what you’d pay at a sushi restaurant. The prices here are pretty good — especially for produce. I got a good amount of groceries for making sushi and udon. For $ 30, I was able to eat well for the entire week!
This supermarket is large and clean, which I’m not used to for Asian supermarkets. The parking lot was also huge, which is always a plus. It is a nice change from the havoc of many of the parking lots of the Asian supermarkets in the OC.
P. S. This supermarket has a weird thing where if you don’t have a membership, it costs $ 1 to shop here? That was weird. Ha.

WooHoo!
This place is pretty damn good. If you live around the area their weekly sale on different items makes you just want to visit and waste money. Seriously. The Shabu Shabu meat here is pretty cheap compared to like Hmart and its damn good too. They also have this short rib meat that is super tasty as well!
Their cooked foods are usually 20 percent off after 7pm so its always nice to visit. I also got my wagyu beef from there too for around 50/​lb and it was GOD DAMN TASTY.
They also have a WALL OF GREEN TEA CANDY. MY LORD jeeze i spent so much money here.
What confuses me is that tokyo central and marukai are owned by the same people, yet this place has a membership fee :(while tokyo central is free. I paid 10 bucks for a year. (THE WEBSITES LINKS TO EACHOTHER)
THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!!

— Locale Destination —
It’s on W Artesia Blvd and S Western Ave in Gardena.
Ambiance: Very casual, but I can’t deny the fact of «messy» configuration. It’s like a maze — once you get into the market, it splits two in ambiguous ways — right for the food court, left for the market but they put some sorta booth in the middle with full of stuff. Once you get into the «Market» side, they put some traditional/​old school «Japanese» stuff and make you turn right for cosmetics, and appliances and finally food… If you haven’t come here before, you got to walk around and around like a sneak (I’m not kidding). They could have set up the aisles a lot better than this. I like nice grids, simple and straight lines for easy/​convenient shopping. It’s a messy business here. Just terrible to find out stuff.
Lines: Unlike Costa Mesa one, you wait for the line for looooooong. So crowded all the time.
Membership: «Tokyo Central» took over «Marukai», but they still use «Marukai» and its membership here unlike the one at Costa Mesa. It had a sign, but I didn’t read well.
Service: The staff here are friendly. They can help you find your stuff you need.
Products: Mainly Japanese products — from food to appliances. Convenient stop for Japanese stuff need.
Deals: It’s like any other «Marukai». I felt this place was a bit more expensive than Costa Mesa one… Costa Mesa one always got many good deals.
Parking: Plenty
— Gluttony Expedition —
Fish: Costa Mesa one had good selections on sashimi, to-​go food like «chirashi» etc. But not this place.
They have a «Meiji tofu» (homemade famous tofu in this area) for $ 3. Creamy, you could get «soy» flavor, not bad. I had a really fresh tofu right off the batch at very good tofu shop in Japan, so it was not bad, but wasn’t so wow to me. Go to the shop (Meiji Tofu) — it’s pretty close from here for better tofu!
*** Tofu tastes best when it is «fresh» — the flavor gets worse and worse by time pass by. Especially those «fresh» and quality one, the difference from old and fresh is very severe. The one I had in Japan was still warm (the one just took out from the mold and put into the water bath to cool it down) and had a full of «soy» flavor. Very bold in flavor, so I didn’t need any seasoning like soy sauce at all. It was so tasty by itself and I could eat the whole big chunk of it by myself — that good. Tofu at actual «Meiji Tofu» was pretty good. You can also find good homemade tofu at some of «Izakaya» in Torrance. You can get decent fresh tofu at «Vietnamese» tofu shop, too.
Sauces/​Dressing: «Marukai» has more interesting sauces than «Mitsuwa».
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
I’m not familiar with this area, but tried a few Japanese markets around here for sure just out of necessity. It’s easy to get into the place. I know the other «Marukai» around here is kinda hard to get into it. I just prefer «Mitsuwa» in this area just because their layout is just simple and easy to shop with.
It’s good that they have «Meiji Tofu» here, though the actual shop isn’t that far away.
Convenient location, long line and messy setting.

Marukai is great since they have huge selection of everything.
But the eateries surrounded it suck.
This place is perfect for you to meet your Japanese needs!
Boyfriend and I bought fresh scallops for a deal.
We even took our time looking at all the seasonings and sauces they have.
We finally found the Japanese mayo we needed for our poke!
They even have an aisle meant for all their green tea flavored sweets and biscuits. How cool is that!

This location is the biggest of all the Marukai supermarket locations in the greater LA area. I love that they have everything under one roof. You can find houseware, appliances, international candies, hawaiian food, sushi, mochi & other ready made delights, every type of soy sauce & sake you can imagine and countless other treasures.
The biggest draw for me is the hawaiian food section. I love that they have portuguese sausage, lau lau, zippy’s chili & other authentic local food in the freezer section. I love all the chocolates, cookies and candies from hawaii. The only negative is that some things are just too overpriced especially when you know how much cheaper they are back in the islands. For example, the mele macs (toffee covered macadamias covered in milk chocolate covered in powdered sugar) in a plastic tub are almost $ 30. Insane… And the delicious Hershey macadamia kisses are over $ 7! That’s a $ 2.50 bag back on Oahu. I just cant get myself to pay that much even though they are so good… On this trip I got some hawaiian sun brand green tea lychee in cans. It’s sold in six packs and is so damn good. Its about $ 5 for that sixer. There are so many good hawaiian sun flavors. I also got some haupia pudding packets to make dessert with.
I usually score some international kit kats. On my most recent trip, I got the strawberry ones. I also scored some chocolate/​banana pocky and cookies & cream pocky. I got some kewpie mayonnaise from japan. Love the smoother, creamier mayo. I couldnt pass up the kewpie toasted sesame dressing either.
There are so many things to buy here. I got the perfect cereal bowl. I saw the rice cooker I wanted. There is a tamiya model car section. There’s a car accessories section. Too many things to list really. You just have to go. Plenty of parking in the lot that surrounds the building. Grab a shopping cart because a basket is simply not enough. Trust me. There is also a great food court that serves everything from ramen, sushi to hawaiian plate lunches. $ 10 annual membership to get special pricing on select items or $ 1 for a day pass.

Champions of all Japanese supermarkets! I’ve been shopping at Marukai since I can remember. This market is a membership store but if you don’t have a membership you just don’t get the discounted price. Huge selection of Japanese products. Fresh vegetables, fruit, meats, and sashimi. They also sell some Hawaiian products.
I enjoy shopping at this market because they carry a variety of Japanese items at a good price. Small aisles and it does get crowded. This market might be very small but it’s clean and doesn’t smell fishy. Employees are friendly and helpful. This is the place I pick up all the items I need to prepare my Japanese meals. Parking is not small but can be hard to find at times but not too bad.
The food court here is small and doesn’t compare to Mitsuwa Marketplace food court.

Love to come here as often as I possibly can. The store is organized and stocked well.
There is a huge selection of Asian products to include produce, frozen goods, sashimi, shabu shabu meats, housewares, and beauty products. Prices are pretty reasonable.
I enjoy coming here and venturing through the aisles because I’m bound to find new items and that just makes me very happy!
A couple of side notes– Parking is never an issue for me at this location and while not the most enthusiastic, the staff here is friendly.

Love this place!
Employees are super friendly and I only wish all Asian markets had this kind of customer service. Prices are reasonable. The store has a variety of stuff. There is a food court, Hello Kitty section, Stationary area, Kitchen supplies, grocery items, etc. I spent forever in here just roaming around and spotting all sorts of cool stuff. This place is awesome and I can’t wait to come back.
Note: Since March 1, 2015 non-​members (even without a 1-​Day pass) are able to enjoy shopping at the store. Specially advertised items listed at special membership prices will only be available to those holding a Marukai membership or a 1-​Day pass.

One of my favorite Japanese market in Torrance. This market is so big compared to the other Marukai on Redondo Beach Blvd.
This market also includes some food court along with many different departments that sell clothes, bags, home appliances and other many types of merchandise.
On the weekend, this place is packed. However, they have many samples here and there for you to try just like Costco. Many good sales most of the time. Have more variety of Japanese goods here than any other market I have gone to.
They have awesome meat department. Very good quality meat for shabu shabu, sukiyaki or even yakiniku. Price is very reasonable for the quality and quantity. Japanese dessert/​snack section is loaded with a whole bunch of yummy/​sweet/​savory snacks. Of course they carry many Green Tea/​Matcha flavor snacks as well!
Very spacious parking lot and there are two entrances offof Artesia and one on Western by Wendy’s. Marukai requires membership for you to get their sale prices. If you dont want to pay $ 20 something dollars a year for membetship, you can get 1-​day membership for $ 1.00.
Always have many cash registers open and the lines go really fast.