Costco was born in the U.S., but there are Costco stores in Japan as well, and they are very popular. I heard that Costco in Japan sells different things than Costco in the U.S., so I visited Costco in Japan the other day, using my U.S. Costco card. Here is a look at Costco in Japan.
Contents
Shop List of Costco Japan
In Japan, there are 30 Costco stores located throughout Japan. See the latest information in Costco Official Website. Costco stores are concentrated in the Kanto area, and the further you go into the countryside, the less Costco stores there are in many areas, including Shikoku and Okinawa, where there are no stores as of February 2022. Costco stores are often located in the suburbs, so it is difficult to access them by public transportation and more convenient to rent a car.
- Hokkaido : Sapporo, Ishikari
- Tohoku：Tomiya (near Sendai) , Kaminoyama
- Kanto : Maebashi, Hitachinaka, Tsukuba, Chiba New Town, Shinmisato, Iruma, Makuhari, Kisarazu, Kawasaki, Kanazawa Seaside, Tamasakai, Zama
- Hokuriku: Imizu (near Toyama) , Nonoichi (near Kanazawa)
- Tokai : Gifu Hashima, Moriyama, Chubu Airport, Hamamatsu
- Kansai : Kyoto Yawata, Amagasaki, Kobe, Izumi
- Chugoku: Hiroshima
- Shikoku: N/A
- Kyushu：Kitakyushu, Hisayama (near Fukuoka) , Kumamoto Mifune
- Okinawa：N/A
Entering Costco in Japan with an American Costco Card
I was able to use my US Costco membership card to enter & shop at Costco in Japan. It is clearly stated on the official Costco page.
Your membership card is valid at any Costco warehouse worldwide and is not transferable.
https://www.costco.com/member-privileges-conditions.html
I used to enter Costcos in Taiwan, Iceland with American membership card. So you can visit any Costco on the earth.
Costco Japan Food Court
To be honest, compared to the Costco menu in the U.S., I thought that the Japanese menu was more extensive. There were standard menu items like pizza, hot dogs, etc., but there were things that Costco in Japan had that Costco in the US did not.
For example, bulgogi bake.
It is very tasty. The length is about 30cm and very hearty. I wish they would add it to the US.
Soft ice cream (both vanilla and matcha) is another menu item not available in the US. I’ve had this one too. It’s delicious. Costco in Japan is indeed Japan. Even Costco is so delicious.
Shopping at Costco in Japan
Costco in the U.S. has some products that are also found in Costco in Japan. For example, BOSE headphones and cusinart kitchenware are sold both in the US and Japan. Also, many nuts were sold in the US. However, I think the prices are a little higher in Japan.
I felt that there was almost no difference between Japan and the U.S. in bread products. The table rolls and bagels that are available in the U.S. are also sold in Japan. Also, the walnut bread that I always buy in the U.S. is almost the same in the U.S. as in Japan. As far as walnut bread is concerned, the price is almost the same in Japan and the U.S., but the Japanese version was a size smaller. When I actually tried it, the taste was slightly different. I prefer American version honestly.
Costco in Japan has Sushi packages. Those cost from 1480 yen to 5000 yen. There are various packages : Sushi Family (48 pieces), Tuna and Salmon (8 pieces + 8 rolls), Sushi Family Special (50 pieces), Nigiri Special (18 pieces), Three types of Tuna with scallop (18 pieces) etc…
Popular Items in Costco Japan
Costco Dinner Role
This is a very popular product that is featured in every magazine that features Costco. It has a reputation for being inexpensive and delicious. I used to buy them when I was in Japan. The taste is easy to eat. To be honest, I don’t know why it is so popular in Japan. It doesn’t seem to be that popular in the US.
Costco rotisserie chicken
The whole roasted chicken is sold at Costco in the US. In Japan, where it is customary to eat chicken at Christmas, you can’t buy it without a reservation. In Japan, where it is customary to eat chicken at Christmas, you can’t buy it without making a reservation.
Tiramisu
Japanese people love tiramisu. Tiramisu is one of the most popular sweets among Japanese people, so much so that there was once a tiramisu boom. Costco’s Tiramisu has also become very popular because of its moderate sweetness.
Sakuradori Breast
This chicken has a great reputation for being cheap and tasty. It is thought to be a Japan-only product.
Bulgogi Beef
Bulgogi beef, popular in the U.S., is also very popular in Japan. The soy sauce-based seasoning that Japanese people are familiar with may be the secret behind its popularity.
Payment at Costco Japan
The following payment methods can be used at Costco in Japan. It is important to note that only MasterCard is accepted as a credit card payment. In the U.S., they only accept Visa, so I was upset when I turned in my Visa card and was told I couldn’t use it. You need to be careful.
- Cash
- Costco Prepaid Card / コストコプリペイドカード
- Costco Global Card / コストコグローバルカード
- Credit Card (Mastercard only) / クレジットカード（マスターカードに限る）
- Costco Cash back Rewards / コストコキャッシュバックリワード
- Executive Reward / エグゼクティブリワード
- Prepaid Card with Mastercard brand / マスターカードブランドの各種プリペイドカード
Costco Gas Station
Some Costco stores in Japan also have gas stations. Since gasoline is generally expensive in Japan, such Costco gasoline is very useful.
List of stores with gas stations (As of February 2022)
Ishikari/石狩、Shasui/射水、ShinMisato/新三郷、Nonoichi/野々市、Tsukuba/つくば、Hamamatsu/浜松、GifuHashima/岐阜羽島、Kisarazu/木更津、Chiba New Town/千葉ニュータウン、Chubu Airport/中部空港、Kaminoyama/かみのやま、Amagasaki/尼崎、Izumi/和泉、富谷、Kitakyushu/北九州、Hisayama/久山、KumamotoMifune/熊本御船
Here are the payment methods available at Costco Gas Station. You’ll need a MasterCard credit card.
- Costco Prepaid Card / コストコプリペイドカード
- Credit Card (Mastercard only) / クレジットカード（マスターカードに限る）
- Costco Cash back Rewards / コストコキャッシュバックリワード
- Executive Reward / エグゼクティブリワード
If you are a Costco member in the U.S., you can refuel with your U.S. membership card, but you need to ask the staff at the gas station. I’ve heard that Japanese members also have to ask the staff in the U.S. to go there, so it’s the same.
米国会員のお客様はガソリンスタンドスタッフにお声掛け頂き次第、給油は可能となります。お支払いはマスターカード、あるいはコストコプリペイドカードのご利用のみとなります。
https://www.costco.co.jp/customerservice