Nijiya Market
I was having my Boba Loca pearl tea on the sidewalk when I made my newest market find. Ever since the Jelly's Music Store closed down in Puck's Alley (at the corner of University and King), its subsequent replacements have paled in comparison. That is until recently when the Nijiya Market, a Japanese gourmet market and sushi restaurant, opened its doors.
There are a two other Japanese-style markets in Honolulu, but once I browsed the well-stocked aisles, I realized that Nijiya really nails it where Don Quijote and Shirokiya don't. At Nijiya, the Japanese products are vast and varied, the produce is fresh and carefully packaged -- plus there's a wide selection of sahimi and sake, which are pretty much weaknesses of mine. I think my mouth dropped even more when I saw the awesome selection of Japanese rice, and economy-sized green tea. Yum!
Did I mention there are some authentic frozen Japanese desserts (azuki beans inside mochi rice balls, anyone?)? Nijiya really has it all -- and then some. The prices are reasonable and the market itself couldn't be in a more convenient spot in town.