Yoshiike 吉池

Taito-ku, Ueno 3-27-12 台東区上野3-27-12

Tel. 03-3831-0141

9:30 – 24:00, no holidays

www.yoshiike-group.co.jp/ (Japanese)

Since 1920, Yoshiike has been a prominent shop in this area of Ueno. This large store has a supermarket in the basement, a large seafood department, and fresh produce. The second floor is a liquor shop, with wine, sake, shochu, and spirits as well as ochoko (sake cups), tokkuri (sake vases).

It is the seafood department that makes this shop worth visiting. The fresh seafood area is impressive with a colorful array of fish, crabs, shellfish and other seafood. But that is just a tiny part of this expansive floor. There is marinated fish, himono (butterflied, salted, and dried fish for grilling), dried fish, smoked salmon, mentaiko, and much more. The kakkohin (processed seafood) is a big part of the seafood culture in Japan and there is a wide variety of products including Satsuma-age (deep-fried fish cakes), kamaboko (steamed fish cakes), canned seafood, and more. Outside of the shop there is space for rotating vendors, often grilled fish.

In the middle of the floor there is a refrigerated case with reasonably priced sashimi platters, ready to go for an impromptu picnic in Ueno Koen (Ueno Park). There are small vendors specializing in unagi and fugu.

Pick up a sashimi platter, some grilled fish, fresh fruit, and then head up to the second floor for some chilled sake and you are set for a picnic in Ueno Park.