{"id":46730,"date":"2026-06-24T21:47:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/46730\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T21:47:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:47:20","slug":"unique-japanese-market-opens-doors-in-san-jose-to-enthusiastic-patrons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/46730\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Japanese market opens doors in San Jose to enthusiastic patrons"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN JOSE \u2014 Sakura Market<\/a> has opened to the public for the first time, offering customers a unique blend of retail, food and beverage items, providing San Jose\u2019s downtown core a unique bonafide grocery store that had long been lacking in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I saw the sign that they were opening, I got really excited,\u201d said Lia Cortes, a downtown San Jose resident who was among the first customers of Sakura Market for its soft opening on Wednesday. \u201cThey have a lot here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The new market is now open<\/a> at the corner of South First Street and Paseo de San Antonio, near a San Jose State University housing tower known as Spartan Village on the Paseo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, it\u2019s a great space,\u201d said Ashley Long, who lives downtown. \u201cThey have a lot of food items, groceries, and other stuff. They have matcha, which I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new Sakura Market<\/a> features a mini-mart, sake and beer bar, sushi buffet, instant ramen bar, and matcha tea shop. The store also offers a curated assortment of Japanese snacks, beverages, and everyday essentials.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very cool,\u201d said Kaylie Valenta, a San Jose State University student who lives in the SJSU housing tower next door to the market. \u201cThis is very different from your typical market. I got some grab-and-go. I\u2019ll definitely come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers arrived hours before the market began operating late morning<\/a>, eager to check things out on opening day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been looking for grab-and-go alternatives that are affordable,\u201d said Mario Babasa, a San Jose resident who works a few blocks from Sakura Market. \u201cI think they hit it on the head,\u201d Babasa added, as he surveyed his newly bought goods.<\/p>\n

After Safeway closed a small-format store on South Second Street in 2019<\/a>, grocery options have been scarce for downtown San Jose residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been looking for a market to open in downtown San Jose for a while,\u201d said Zoe Gallego, a San Jose resident who walked a few blocks from work to check out the Sakura site. \u201cThere\u2019s really nothing here. I\u2019m excited for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whole Foods Market and Grocery Outlet operate on the edges of the downtown, but the core is a grocery desert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet Sakura will be a huge draw and get a lot of business,\u201d said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial, a San Jose-based real estate firm.<\/p>\n

Sakura Market is inspired by Japan\u2019s \u201ckonbini\u201d convenience stores and is an updated version of the grab-and-go concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge appetite for entertainment and experience retail that is different from the luxury malls in San Jose,\u201d Ritchie said.<\/p>\n

Sakura Market is owned by Osaka Marketplace and functions as a small-format version of the larger store.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vision for Sakura Market is to create a space that fits seamlessly into people\u2019s daily routines,\u201d said Kazuhiro Takeda, chief operating officer and a director with Osaka Marketplace.<\/p>\n

The new grocery store has been looking for cashiers, customer service workers, stockers, cleaning staff, bartenders, and sushi preparers, along with other roles, according to a hiring post.<\/p>\n

Wages are expected to range from $18.45 to $21 an hour, depending on experience. Employee roles will include part-time and full-time positions, the post states.<\/p>\n

Sakura Market\u2019s new retail hub fills an empty space totaling 5,000 square feet that was once occupied by a Muji store that sold household, apparel and stationery items.<\/p>\n

The new grocery hub is also poised to benefit from its proximity to the main San Jose State University campus as well as the Signia by Hilton hotel on the north side of the Paseo.<\/p>\n

While the challenges are plentiful, first-day customers were enthusiastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grab-and-go is what got me,\u201d Cortes said. \u201cThis is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"InteriorInterior of Sakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen on June 24, 2026. The market is open to the public.\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)
\n\"RamenRamen bar inside Sakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen on June 24, 2026. The unique grocery store is open to the public fo the first time.\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)
\n\"AshleyAshley Long (L) and Lia Cortes (R) shop in the newly opened Sakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen on June 24, 2026.\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)
\n\"SakuraSakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen on June 24, 2026. The konbini-style retail hub features a mini-mart, sake and beer bar, sushi buffet, ramen bar, and matcha tea shop\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)
\n\"SakuraSakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen during its first day open to the public on June 24, 2026.\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)
\n\"CustomersCustomers await the opening of Sakura Market at the corner of South First Street and the Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, seen on June 24, 2026.\u00a0(George Avalos\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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