After months of anticipation, Northern Virginia residents got their first look at the new Japanese grocery store in Tysons this past weekend.
Shoppers began lining up well before Marufuji Japanese Market (8520-A Leesburg Pike) opened its doors at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, so anyone who showed up on time found themselves at the end of a queue that past the nearby Starbucks and looped multiple times around Tysons 3 Center’s rear parking lot.
“I wasn’t expecting there to be this many people, but I’m excited that I’m finally inside and got my bag,” said a Woodbridge resident, who told FFXnow that she drove 30 to 40 minutes to get to the store and waited a little over an hour to get inside.
Another woman who came from the Centreville and Manassas area reported waiting in line for two hours.
Upon getting inside, shoppers were greeted by a worker handing out free branded tote bags and stalls where they could sample ramen or okonomiyaki, a Japanese street food. By noon, they also bumped into an ever-growing line of people waiting to check out, one that wound up and down the snack and frozen food aisles before ending near the meat and fish counters at the back of the store.
Fortunately for Fuji Mart Corp, the Connecticut-based company that launched Marufuji as its first foray into the D.C. area, the extended waits didn’t seem to be dampening anyone’s enthusiasm for the store’s actual products.
The Centreville-area resident said her family will “definitely” be regular visitors. Initially wary that Marufuji would mostly duplicate the goods found in the region’s more plentiful Korean and Chinese grocery stores, she was “extremely pleasantly surprised at the vast selection and the authenticity” of the stock, which included noodles of the instant, frozen and dried variety; various seasonings and sauces; sushi; savory and sweet snacks; fresh vegetables; and more.
“There’s a lot of international food stores in the area, but none of them are of Japanese origin,” the woman said. “It’s really exciting to be able to get actual, authentic ingredients and imports.”
Tamaki from Alexandria, who said she had been “patiently” waiting for Marufuji’s opening after its originally anticipated December launch passed, was pleased by the store’s home goods section, which featured bags, beauty and cleaning products, origami paper, storage bins, and other household items, such as chopstick holders shaped like paper cranes.
“It’s nice that you can buy Japanese shampoo and conditioner in store,” Tamaki told FFXnow while waiting in the checkout line. “… It’s also nice too because I’m hoping that if this grocery store is successful, it will get more products in the future too. I mean, they’re pretty well-stocked for the first opening day.”
In addition to groceries and home goods, the store has a cafe with a seating area that serves tea, coffee and espresso as well as cakes and a full menu of entrees, including Japanese-style curry rice, chicken katsu, gyudon (beef rice bowls) and set meals served with rice, miso soup and pickles.
Speaking to FFXnow after trying a sample of cold-brewed tea from Yamamotoyama, Tysons resident Huai said he’ll “definitely be back” after finding that the store had “a lot of stuff I’m looking for.”
“I’ve been to Japan, and it’s very close to that, resemblance-wise, and the culture’s here as well, so it’s a pretty good vibe,” he said, adding that “I hope it stays here as long as possible.”
