J-Town is an authentic Japanese-focused retail promenade in Markham, filled with a variety of Japanese restaurants, bakeries, stationary stores, beauty shops, and grocery markets. This is GTA’s largest Japanese shopping centre, and continues to be a staple for many locals since it first opened in 1998. At its inception, J-Town was the home to Heisei Mart, Nakumara Bakery, and Kobo Jewelry. Over the years, as the popularity of J-Town grew, so did the number of vendors on-site. J-Town now houses a plethora of stores, and offers a variety of Japanese goods and services to the public.

J-Town Food

I started off my visit to J-Town with some amazing Japanese food at Cafe Green Tea- a restaurant known for its home style Japanese cooking. I opted for a classic Japanese curry omelet and rice, as well as the tempura soba. The curry was savory and smooth, with soft potato and carrots added to the mix. And the rice had a sweet taste that was brought on by the gentle addition of ketchup. The whole dish paired beautifully together. The tempura was crispy and the soba had a perfect texture. While the broth had a subtle flavour, it was the perfect meal that left me feeling satisfied and ready to take on the rest of J-Town.

Another delicious food option in J-Town is Tanuki restaurant. While Cafe Green Tea is said to provide a home style Japanese food experience, Tanuki restaurant serves yoshuko-style food. Yoshuko is Japanese inspired western food. And while the menu may seem intimidating to some, this innovative fusion food is another great option to explore while in J-Town.

J-Town Fun

Our next stop was Sasaki Fine Pastry- fresh and unique flavoured Japanese mochi by Yukiko Sasaki. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice flour that has a subtle sweetness and slightly chewy texture. The flavours are carefully selected and the mochi is made fresh by Yukiko Sasaki herself.

I opted to try the mango, cream, strawberry, sesame and matcha flavours and I can honestly say they were delicious! The texture was soft and chewy, while the flavours were jam packed! This was my first time trying mochi and it quickly became one of my favourite sweet treats. Sasaki Fine Pastry may appear to be a quiet pastry shop, tucked away in J-Town, but I’m positive that one taste of their mochi will have you coming back time and time again to J-Town.

J-Town Fresh

Last, but definitely not least, I made my way to Heisei Mart- a Japanese grocery store that has been a foundation for J-Town since its inception. Heisei Mart has a variety of grocery items, Japanese snacks, home goods, and ceramics. If you’re visiting J-Town, make sure you visit Heisei Mart to stock up on all your Japanese ingredients and goodies, because their imported items are straight from Japan and are impeccable quality.

On this visit I decided to pick up a set of Irodori chopsticks; I was looking for something durable and great for everyday use and the chopsticks were the perfect choice. Along with their functionality, they had an assortment of colours and intricate designs. I could not leave Heisei Mart without picking up some sweet treats, and when I saw two unique flavours of my favourite fruit candy- HiChew- I knew I needed to pick them up. I grabbed the Hi-Chew Hokkaido Milk flavour made from premium milk from Hokkaido, Japan; as well as the Hi-Chew Mystery Fanta flavour. Both were delicious and a perfect choice to satisfy my cravings. Next, I picked up a staple in my household, the S&B Golden Curry Japanese Curry Mix. This is an easy dinner meal when you are on a rush and want a hearty dish to enjoy. And to wrap up my trip, I grabbed a pack of Meiji Matcha Biscuits because the matcha flavour in imported Japanese goods are so rich and delicious.