Of all the shopping we do as a large family, there’s one store in particular that’s more than just a normal shopping trip — it’s an American shopping experience.
But is this foreign store practical for life in Japan?
Or is it best suited for the western world?
Welcome to Costco!
What do we buy here. What indeed.
Or what do we not buy here.
[Life in Japan Theme Song]
OK — for the uninitiated, Costco is a shopping warehouse that offers goods from all over the world.
They have a little bit of everything, and what they have they sell in large quantities.
But before you go in, you need to pay an annual fee to become a member.
Most people have to decide whether the selection and savings of Costco justifies the cost of admission,
not to mention the effort it takes to get there and lug your goods away.
Is it worth it for our family? You be the judge.
What do we get in this row, Ruth.
Ok, well this is one of my favorite things because you can put it on bread with butter, bake it in the oven for a little bit and it makes delicious garlic bread.
Ohhh, we have some at home already.
And I always but the cinnamon from here. It's super cheap. 500 yen for this whole thing of cinnamon.
Cinnamon rolls. Oh yeah!
And I buy this. It's organic blue agave.
It's a great sugar substitute.
Nice.
I want to sit down somewhere. And Joshua already wants to sit down. What?
Ruth bakes and cooks a lot for our large family, so she needs large packages of raw material.
A lot of packaging in Japan is done with individuals in mind,
but at Costco we can buy in bulk — much like a business would want to do.
She's gotta get ready for all the holiday cookies. I better get 2 just in case they run out.
Oh, chocolate chips.
That's a lot of different types of oil here.
Yes, I buy it! You buy it.
These are so good on salads right there.
Oh my goodness. But we have some of those still at home. I think so.
And this roasted sesame seed dressing. We always take it as gifts to our friends in the States.
They love it. They love it.
And you know what soup they love in Japan? Clam chowder.
Look at all that clam chowder.
Chicken.
This is a great, to have on hand in case of a major earthquake because it's non needed to be refrigerated.
So when the kids go on outings and they need to take a can of tuna or something, I send them chicken.
And if you like parmesan cheese, well, you can get it.
Preserved food good up for 7 years.
For emergencies, camping, climbing mountains,
The dilemma at Costco is often deciding what to buy, because you never know if you’ll like a product until you’ve tried it at least once.
Weird. Interesting.
3 meals, 3 days, 3 people.
And water too.
This product sure looks interesting, but without knowing how it tastes, we’re going to pass for now.
Chia.
I use chia seeds so much.
What do you use it for?
Oatmeals and cookies and cakes and... stuff. Stuff.
And for those times you just need and unhealthy, American food... Comfort food.
Mac and Cheese. That goes a long way with kids.
Yes.
Then over here you have all types of different rice.
And I like to buy the rice that has already been rinsed, because that just saves me time.
So I buy a 10 kilo bag of rice so we probably buy it at least every 2 months, if not every month.
Is it ok if I help with this? OK, here you go.
It's really heavy! It's not... oh!
Ha ha- it's not-OH!
Let's leave it right there, OK?
We appreciate the presence of local items as well as international foods.
This works really well for the way that we eat, giving us the best of both.
No squished ones for me
Cranberry Juice - mommy's staple.
But I drink this much cranberry juice with this much water.
Good way to do it.
Some of the cereals that we like — you don't get a lot of choices.
Or oatmeal — we're backing up
I forgot my oatmeal. Can I put it in
Yes, you can put it in. Is it heavy?
It is heavy.
It's not that heavy... Put it next to the chocolate chips because we use it in a lot of baking.
OK, and everything is in bulk, but I like to buy—oh my goodness— honey.
100% honey
And I just have a smaller container that I keep refilling.
But you have to have space to store all this stuff which is a problem in our tiny kitchens.
That's for sure.
And then on this side you have a lot of teas.
But... I bet ya' that English Tea is good.
I'm not a huge Green Tea fan. I like the flavor, I don't like the smell.
We know what we need to get — the question is, should we try something new?
Right next to Ruth's tea is what I like to get — is all that lemonade.
Do you want one? I think you still have one. I still have one.
The disadvantage of Costco is that it comes in bulk,
So if you don't know if you like, and you try some of it, and you don't want the rest of it, you have a lot left over.
But If it weren’t for the fact that we have very limited storage and freezer space,
we would end up buying a lot more than we already do!
If you're going to have a small party, this section is great
Cause these little quiches are just so good
Those little pizzas, we've never had them but they look amazing.
I got my flavored coffee that I really like.
I mix it with real coffee
Oh uh, Belgian's finest.
I'm not for Belgian's finest. I like Godiva or the Lindt. Those are my finest.
They are ready for the holidays here.
Yes, right here. And here we go!
Can I open it? Oh, ok.
Thank you. Holiday meal prep.
There it is — the staple of American holiday tradition, Turkey!
This year we’re going to need at least two!
Oh, we're getting two this year! Three? Two?
Oh man!
OK, close it now please.
Oh, it's so cold in there, huh Dude? OK, close.
Oh, that was too hard. There you go.
And now for a staple Japanese food
It's an easy meal.
We just got it last time, karage (Japanese fried chicken) and it was good.
Some of these things you can only find at Costco
This is my favorite bread, but I'm the only one who likes it.
I want to go to the cold section.
As we approach the back of the store, we come across many of our key items in bulk:
bread and baked goods, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, fruit and more.
Oh, here you go Joshua, the cold section. Oh no, I need to go down that side, I need to get my eggs.
Oh no, the eggs are in there.
Oh, they moved them.
How much eggs do we have to take? Two!
Can I...? Can you take one for me?
Yeah, So careful though because if they fall, they break.
Over here, yo. Milk.
Margarine.
The fruit and vegetables at Costco is decent, so long as you don’t buy too much.
Otherwise you can easily be left with more than you can eat before it goes bad.
For the Reutter’s, we like bananas, grapes, apples and an occasional citrus fruit.
Banana!
Our cart is filling up.
I know, I need paper towels still. And paper towels!
But where Costco really shows up strong is in the back, with their fresh meats and store-made meals.
There’s a reason why this section is always packed with people!
In Japan, it's all kinds fo seafood. Or even octopus if you want.
I love sushi!
I've never seen a white pumpkin pie before.
The beef here is great and cheap.
So normally I buy this because it's 100% beef. This is pork and beef.
But I get just the beef.
There's wagyu beef, there's U.S. beef
Look at that chunk of beef! Wow, look at that!
Oh boy. Oh boy!
Our family likes bagels for breakfast, and this is a good place to get it.
And we often get our birthday party cakes here at Costco too!
Oh my - look at that! A wine advent calendar.
A lot of stuff that you dream about, but where would you put it?!
Yeah, this is where we got our tent, huh Dude?
But not that tent, was it? It was a different tent.
I must say, if you've never used American charcoal, you're really missing out.
It's the easiest thing to light and use.
Oh no way!
They have some Lego Marios, huh?
Oh man! Whoa! Do you have all of those?
Mmmm, yep. I have all of those sets that they have.
You do? And what would Costco be without a giant bear?
It's definitely holiday time. You know it. I want this!
When there is all kinds of toys. We have that, and we don't use it.
A 4K action camera for 4k.
But in yen, that's not bad. Do you think it's any good at all?
Oh boy!
That's funny. It's a Disney one, huh?
This is what warms Ruth's heart.
I love Christmas decorations. I have this one.
Do you know the real reason for the season of Christmas? Well you can find it at Costco.
Here it is, the Nativity scene, Joshua. Who is that right there?
Baby Jesus. Baby Jesus, right? That's what Christmas is all about.
God so loved the world that He gave his only son Jesus,
That whoever would believe in Him would not die, but have eternal life. Awesome!
Remember when the world used to travel and needed luggage?
Well, you can dream about those times and prepare yourself for when the world opens up again!
And of course clothes galore
And great clothes
Yep, we've bought a good amount of clothes here
Oh yea we have
American sizes? Kind of hard to tell sometimes
Alright, check out time. We've got a big helper, huh, to put it all over here. Alright.
And what would a trip to Costco be without food at the food court.
The stuff they have is always kind of changing, but you can get the hotdog, of course, all the time
But everything else kind of changes.
They have new packages Yes they do — look, there it is!
Alright, lunch!
Well, how did that go as far as Costco trips go?
A little different because I'm buying turkeys
So normally I wouldn't buy two turkeys
That adds to the price.
Other than that, it's pretty normal.
Speaking of the price...
But ¥10,000 of that is turkey
Well, we got our goods and we're taking it up to the car.
We have to eat in the car because it's Take-out only
And this is a Costco with a view!
Gotta pack it in and fit it in our car
And now, as of COVID, this is how you've gotta eat
In your vehicle, enjoying your drink, your family and your food — thank you Jesus!
I receive with thanks.
And that’s how we do Costco in Japan!
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Now, it's unload time!
Here we go!