J-Town Express

From the outside J-Town appears to be a knockoff Daiso shop. However, it's totally opposite of that not even close. This shop sells mostly snacks and novelties with some small items that students may use. Everything here is Japanese branded with some American brand, but in a Japan market. Take for example Kit-Kat is made with green tea and chocolate. The workers are young and friendly to assist. What brought me in here was that now they sell bento boxes of sushi available M-F only.

I love this store. They have a lot of cute stuff and fun snacks! My only issue is that I am always getting followed in the store and that really unfortunate. Is my brown skin really that much of an issue?

Don't let the somewhat cramped space fool you, this place is full of treasures. First and foremost, there is a huge selection of snacks from many different Asian countries, all reasonably priced. Lots of instant noodles to choose from as well as a huge variety of drinks teas, coffees, juices, etc. You can find a ton of Kit Kat flavors here too! In the back there is a frozen section with cakes, ice cream, etc. I was happy and surprised to find marron chestnut cake like Japanese Mont Blanc that are inexpensive and hard to find even in bakeries! The strawberry soft serve cone is one of my favorites. They also have bentos and Asian groceries here not including produce. Plenty of noodles, dumplings, condiments, sauces, etc. to choose from. A very convenient spot to pick up ingredients. There is a cute section for stationary and other miscellaneous things like mugs, thermoses, backpacks, etc. Overall, the convenience of location and the variety of products makes this place a regular stop for me, whether for snacks or groceries.

Super cute store similar to Daiso. They have so many varieties of instant noodles imported from Japan, lots of mochi, and cute school stuff! They also have frozen Chinese dumplings and buns. I like how authentic it is here. Feels like Japan!

The store stood out immediately once walking on the street and I looked inside. It has everything that I could’ve asked for it has a large variety of imports and the prices are great. I’m not from San Francisco which makes me wish this store was close to me because of its huge variety and convenience. I definitely recommend this place to anyone that likes this type of food and sweets.

I like J-Town Express, but there are better stores out there. This is the closest japanese merchandise store. So yeah I'm going to go here for pocky or to check out new anime merchandise. But the variety isn't the greatest. As far as pricing goes, it's okay. For an example, the pencil cases this week normally goes by $7.50 but there was a 50% off sale so I got it for $4.50. Which is totally reasonable, but the pencil case's material was cheap but it would last you. If I compare this pencil case from J-Town Express to Sanrio, Sanrio will excel. Lastly the service. One time I went, I felt comfortable and the cashier was friendly. This time I went I didn't feel so comfortable. At the time I entered the store I was the only one there and I was being followed by the cashier. At first I didn't care. But when the store became populated I started to feel very uncomfortable. Being a person of color I was upset that I was being followed. A business this well should not have workers that racially profile consumers. It was upsetting, she still was polite and nice at the cashier, but I'm pretty sure those are just employee guidelines. All in all, nice store but it can use a larger variety and better service.

While the store is full of wonderful items , the customer service needs to be improved badly----- I bought a lots of items today for my upcoming vacation , and when I am ready to pay: First, the young lady told me that customers need to show photo ID after the purchase is over certain amount, even I am paying with a debit card. While I have not been experience this with other neiborhood stores, since I didn't carry ID, I respected their policy by walking to a nearby ATM to get cash and come back to pay. Second, after I paid, the young lady just put everything in their basket in front of my face, she put it in such a rude manner that the heavy basket smashed my figner ! I asked her what did she expected me to do with those stuff and why can't she put those items in bags for me---as normally they will ask customers if they need to purchase bags for items and I was not asked today----she said the owner just order them today not to pack purchased items for customers... While I am not sure if the owner also asked them not to automatically provide receipts to cutomers either, she did not bother to give me receipt until I reminded her. I do not know if these policies make any sense if customers do not mention they want to use their own bags, and store clerks are free to dump everything to customers and expect them to self help, especially I am a senior.,not a magician who can handle more than 15 items by hands! Clearly there is an attitude problem involved! I hope their service and professional training can be equally match with their goodies in the store.

Good candy and snack selection! Store is a bit small, but they have most of the things I'm looking for. They have some good tea bags too in the back.

Good selection of Japanese specialty food products, like Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce etc. But - overpriced, compared to going to actual Japantown. I guess it comes down to whatever's most convenient for you.

Slightly overpriced Japanese snack shop with a respectable range of imports. Geared towards nearby Cal Berkeley students, so it's usually packed.