I was surprised to find out that it was incredibly similar. The layout was the same and the products were similar too. There were a number of special Japanese products but great prices and American products with English labels. It was amazing to shop at a store where we could read!
The highlight of the trip to Costco, however, was meeting a new friend! I used to attend and work at Lawrence Tech University and had a work-study program as a lab proctor. I worked long hours with some great guys and we would share crazy videos with each other. One of the favorites was "Will it Blend?" where the demonstrator would blend electronics, a broom, just about anything that would fit with this industrial BlendTec blender!
This is similar to one of the phones I had in college:
Imagine my surprise when I saw Tom Dickson himself doing a demonstration in our fair city of Hiroshima, Japan! I watched the demonstration and was surprised it was in English.
I had a chat with Mr. Dickson after I tried a sample and he was incredibly friendly! He told me to try the blender but I explained that it was a big purchase and I'd have to think about it. The more I thought about it, it seemed like a good idea because it could destroy ice and make baby food really easily. After giving me a sales pitch, we chatted all about Japan and our new baby on the way. Mr. Dickson eventually told me that he would give us a blender!
We love it and use it all the time now. If you're in the market for a serious blender, I would definitely recommend it! We make smoothies, almond butter, soups, or whatever else sounds good.
Here are some pictures from our first Costco trip:
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| Costco is right next to the baseball stadium in Hiroshima. You can't miss it if you're in the area. |
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| Real estate is at a premium in Japan, so there is a parking garage next to Costco. Parking is about $40 if you don't have a receipt! They have this cool escalator that the shopping carts lock into. Isn't Joe a handsome escalator model? |
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| The entrance is just like back in the states. |
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| The specials were similar to the states too! |
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| Japanese diapers are great! |
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| EVOO at a great price! |
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| I wonder who in Japan has a yard big enough for these outdoor toys? |
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| Oh good, a special on octopus! (Eek!) |
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| Good prices on detergent. |
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| We bought a five pack of lint rollers. This is clearly a necessity with a super furry dog. |
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| My new friend, Tom Dickson! |
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| We got home and made a super tasty smoothie with spinach and frozen fruit! |
