Happy tidings for those seeking satsuma mandarins, Hokkaido cream puffs and instant yakisoba. A major Japanese market will soon open in Emeryville, with not just groceries but imported beauty and health products.
Tokyo Central will hold its grand opening on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2026, at the Bay Street Emeryville shopping complex, according to a mall representative. The bottom-level store is located at 5603 Bay St. in a newly built 40,000-square-foot-plus anchor building, with a rooftop given over to roughly 110 parking spots.
The store will stock fresh Japanese produce and staples — purple sweet potatoes, Koshihikari rice, Kurobuta pork belly — as well as made-to-order and take-away meals (including sushi), health items and beauty products, including ever-so-crucial Korean-beauty lines.
There will also be an “upscale dining establishment serving fresh and authentic Japanese cuisine,” according to Bay Street Emeryville, though its identity is yet known. (It probably won’t be a Benihana, as one of those is scheduled to move in nearby at a former Chevy’s Fresh Mex location.)
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote. While there are about half a dozen Tokyo Centrals in the Los Angeles region, there’s only one other in the Bay Area, in Cupertino. For Emeryville, this massive Asian grocery will be a citywide first.
“The addition of an Asian grocer at Bay Street Emeryville bolsters CenterCal Properties’ commitment to reimagine the merchandising of their properties to reflect the communities they serve — especially in the culturally rich Bay Area where Asians make up the second-largest demographic profile in the region,” the commercial real-estate company behind the shopping company said in a statement.
Aside from stocking Japanese pantry staples, beer and sake and other things, Tokyo Central is known for holding special sales and events. At other locations this year, it has staged pop-ups featuring delicacies from specific prefectures of Japan, and also threw a “Bluefin Tuna Cutting Show” with sashimi tastings afterward.
Details: Grand opening is scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2026, at 5603 Bay St., Emeryville; tokyocentral.com