(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
Whenever I visit farmers’ markets and do a little shopping off base, it’s like I’m getting a small taste of home. While exploring the area around Yokota Air Base recently, I stumbled across Farmers Center, located about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) away from the base’s main gate.
Farmers Center is a small grocery store selling many local seasonal produce, including grapes, squash, corn, and onions. They also sell products from different prefectures like senbei rice crackers from Osaka, black beans from Hokkaido and apple juice from Aomori. Ideally, we can find most of these in the commissary but venturing out and exploring Japan while getting groceries is a double win in my books.
Online, reviews by customers suggest visiting on Saturdays, the market’s busiest day, since it is when the store is restocked. For me, weekday visits have worked in my favor because I don’t have to beat crowds to get some fresh produce.
I enjoy visiting food markets when I travel because it brings back great memories of the farmers’ markets I’d go to in California. Walking the aisles and looking at the interesting vegetables and other products is a small piece of home away from home.
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
(Photo by Luis Samayoa)
Things to know
Address: 811, Ninomiya Akiruno, Tokyo Japan 197-0814, Parking is limited spaces but it’s free.
Payment: They do accept cards but both my Visa and Mastercard never seem to work, I would recommend bringing yen.
