If there were a Super Bowl for grocery-store events, Emeryville had its this weekend with the grand opening of Tokyo Central.
The long-awaited Asian supermarket celebrated its debut on Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, with lines snaking up and down the block, a store worker at the door letting people in one or two at a time.
A security guard monitoring the crowd estimated the wait to get in on Sunday afternoon at two hours. “Good thing I didn’t work yesterday,” he said. “Yesterday was worse. It was looped around down to the parking lot.”
Tokyo Central is the first supermarket to land in Emeryville in more than 30 years. The ground-level store is located at 5603 Bay St. in a new 40,000-square-foot-plus building, with a rooftop given over to roughly 110 parking spots.
“Tokyo Central’s opening is a meaningful addition to Emeryville. It reflects the city’s ongoing commitment to being a welcoming, diverse and economically vibrant community,” said Emeryville Mayor Sukhdeep Kaur. “This store brings high-quality specialty groceries, creates local jobs and serves not only Emeryville residents, but the broader East Bay.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Tokyo Central to Emeryville,” said David Mourra, Emeryville city council member. “Their focus on Japanese specialty foods is unique in the East Bay and perfectly complements Emeryville’s increasingly vibrant retail landscape.”
The market is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote. There’s only one other Tokyo Central in the Bay Area, in Cupertino, though Southern California has several more.
The store stocks fresh and imported Japanese produce and staples, beer and sake, as well as made-to-order and take-away meals, health items and beauty products. Inside is also a restaurant, the Hand Roll Factory, that prepares eat-in or to-go rolls featuring (according to the grocery) fresh fish, Hitomebore rice, “crisp Ariake nori” and “delicately balanced vinegar made from Rishiri kelp stock.”
Thousands of people attended the first day on Saturday – some having slept outdoors the night before – making for a “turnout that easily rivaled the opening of IKEA 25 years ago,” reports the E’ville Eye. The Eye adds more details:
“Prior to the ribbon Cutting, opening remarks were made by 2026 Emeryville Mayor Sukhdeep Kaur, Marukai Corp. President Koichi Toyo and consul general of Japan in San Francisco Kotaro Otsuka.
“Performances included Japanese dance troupe Uzumaru (“Whirlpool”), who blend traditional movements with modern music, and a taiko drumming performance by Emeryville Taiko.”
Aside from stocking Japanese goods, Tokyo Central is known for holding special sales and events. In 2025, its various locations staged pop-ups featuring food from different Japanese prefectures and also threw a “Bluefin Tuna Cutting Show” with sashimi tastings.
Details: Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily at 5603 Bay St., Emeryville; tokyocentral.com and baystreetemeryville.com
AloJapan.com