Review of Uwajimaya Asian Food & Gift Market

Located within the Seattle Chinatown or International District is a gem of a store. It is known to be the largest Japanese supermarket in the Pacific Northwest. I am speaking about Uwajimaya. It has become a tourist attraction in addition to providing the local area with good shopping.

Uwajimaya Asian Food and Gift Market is the cornerstone of the Uwajimaya Village located on 6^th Avenue and King Street in Seattle. It is a walking distance from the ferry docks, Qwest Field, and the King's Street Railroad Station. In other words, it is well located.

Uwajimaya is a family operated business, which is nice to see in this day and age of large conglomerate organizations. In addition to having the Seattle International District store, there is another store found in Beaverton, Oregon and Bellevue, Washington.

Both inside and out, this store has a very eye-appealing atmosphere. The exterior sign is large enough so you can easily spot the store from other street corners. Sidewalks are clean, the parking lot is well maintained, and the front entrance welcomes visitors. There is a cement wraparound area to rest one's weary feet outside the front entrance. It is well maintained, also.

What is particularly nice about coming into Uwajimaya in Seattle is the fact that there is a chestnut vendor right outside the front door. That is cool, and not something I see everyday.

Upon walking inside Uwajimaya, I see eye-appealing fresh produce right off the bat. Everything is in rows, too. It is simply a very pleasurable atmosphere. The interior is well lit, all the items are labeled and priced, and signs are easy to read. I have yet to not find a price on something. That is good, in my opinion. I do not like having to find an employee in order to know what an item costs. The floors are clean and items are well maintained. Everything has a place in this store, and overall, this store is very organized in appearance.

The produce is always well presented, well stocked, and well labeled. Everything looks so fresh and tempting. There are a wide variety of unique produce items found here. That makes it all the better, in my opinion.

The meat department has a variety of items including organ meat, tripe, beef, pork, duck, and chicken - plus other items I would only look at. Everything looks fresh and is very well presented.

The center of the store contains isles with anything you can think of. There is an entire isle of tea alone. There are so many varieties of green tea, I lose track of time just perusing them. And, the prices are pretty good. I have found great deals just by taking the time to look.

What is so nice about Uwajimaya is the fact that they have large seafood tanks in the back of the store. There are tanks of live tilapia, geoducks, oysters, and other live seafood. Some of these tanks are HUGE! Customers can purchase any of this live seafood. Prices are reasonable. I find it fun just to go back to this section and check it out.

Walk around the store and you will come to the deli section. Here, you can order hot foods to go. There are usually specials available, also.

There are a variety of baked goods available at Uwajimaya, also. The bean cakes are particularly good. And, the prices are great. If donuts are your interest, there are even some of those found here.

Get away from the supermarket and groceries for a bit, and you can browse the gift store found inside Uwajimaya. This place is phenomenal. There are some simply exquisite handcrafted Asian items here. There is artwork, books, records, clothing, kimonos, and kitchenware - to name just a few items here. I have seen some hand-painted glazed stoneware here that is unlike anything I have seen. If you need a gift, this is the place to go.

Near the back of the store is a food court. This place is just too cool. There are a variety of tables where you can sit and enjoy your meal. Plus, many of these places offer samples. I recommend Yummy House Bakery to anyone who visits Uwajimaya. Oohhlala!

And, Uwajimaya offers a variety of cooking classes.

Visiting Uwajimaya Asian Food and Gift Market is not just going grocery shopping. It is an experience that everyone needs to partake in.

I cannot think of anything negative about this store and/or Village. I would not go there at night, though. That is more a personal preference than anything, though.

Seattle's Uwajimaya is located at 600 5^th Avenue South, Seattle, WA. 98104. Call them at 206-624-6248 for more information. Or, you can visit them online at www.uwajimaya.com.