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2w ago

Tokyo Central’s Emeryville Debut Draws 15,000 Shoppers and 2-Hour Lines

The Japanese specialty grocer anchors Bay Street’s revival with daily operations now underway.

Tokyo Central opened Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Emeryville, Calif. The Asian supermarket is located at 5603 Bay St. in a new 40,000-square-foot-plus building in the Bay Street Emeryville shopping complex. (John Metcalfe/Bay Area News Group)
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Overview

  • More than 8,000 customers visited on Saturday and about 7,000 on Sunday, according to a Tokyo Central representative.
  • Lines wrapped around Bay Street with estimated waits of up to two hours, and some shoppers began queuing as early as 12:30 a.m.
  • The 40,635-plus-square-foot store at 5603 Bay St. features roughly 110 rooftop parking spaces and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • The chain, part of Pan Pacific Retail Management, offers extensive Japanese groceries, prepared foods, sake and beauty products, plus the on-site Hand Roll Factory restaurant.
  • City officials and Japanese representatives held a ribbon-cutting with cultural performances, underscoring civic support for Emeryville’s first new supermarket in more than 30 years.