Attn Tokyo-ites: any international Asian grocery stores?

[greg]

Less than two weeks before departure! I told my father in law that I would make thai curry for him when I visit, and he is excited. Although in Nagano-ken, there just aren't any places I know of where you can buy international foods (it took me forever just to find a store that sold olives last year when I cooked Italian for my family there). I'm sure I can bring some cans of curry paste, coconut milk, a can of straw mushrooms, and some jasmine rice with me when I go, but I don't know if I could get some Thai basil or some Thai chilis through customs. I may bring some anyway and plead ignorance if I get them confiscated at the airport. I dunno. Are there alternatives though?


EDIT: I just found this website: http://www.tokyoapartments.jp/tokyo_guide_shopping.html It lists a Thai grocery store in Okubo. Maybe I'll give that place a shot if I can find the time to get there.

[rancor]

Watabe foods in Akihabara has a bit of everything. Theres a Thai specific shop in Kinshicho about 100m from the west side of the station.. Its a Thai restaurant / grocery store, and they have some really odd hours. I can never predict when they're open. The "OK" supermarket chain always has a fairly comprehensive selection of curries if you can find a location or you might also try a "Kaldi" coffee / import foods if you make it to a shopping mall.

[dcharlie]

Yeah, Rancor beat me to it - Kaldi tends to have pretty much everything you need for Thai cookery

[GaijinPunch]

Seijo Ishii is a new chain which is somewhere between a conbini and a Kunokuniya. Unfortunately, the prices are in line w/ Kinokuniya. The up side is there are many of them, and they have Thai Curry, and tons of other import stuff.

[originalz]

Yamaya is my personal favorite, has a ton of stuff at really cheap prices. I usually go to the ones in Ikebukuro but I know there are others.

Still tho, where you going to be? There are tons of ethnic markets in Tokyo, even my area has a few private stores.