Japan on the Hudson

The Japanese Mall

After my family trip to the Hudson River Valley, we stopped at the Japanese Mall in Edgewater, NJ on the way home.  We used to go to the Japanese Mall a lot when I was younger and would always have dinner at the beautiful Japanese steakhouse overlooking the Hudson.  Unfortunately, the steakhouse is out of business, but the mall is still worth a visit.

Stores at the Japanese Mall

Food court at the mall

When we arrived at the mall, our first stop was the supermarket, where we were overwhelmed by the large variety of Japanese products.

Rice milling machine

Who knew there are so many varieties of miso?

Tofu?

Half an aisle devoted to panko (breadcrumbs)

There were also some products with funny packaging and terms that didn’t translate so well.

"Good Good Eat" ramen noodles

Cute Kewpie mayo in a bag

Curry that is perfect for the Jewish New Year

"Fruity salad" juice made me smile

Pretty Sake bottles

We bought some sashimi to have for dinner later and then visited the food court for a snack.  There were lots of Japanese restaurants and one misplaced Italian restaurant.  I was excited to see that the Japanese restaurants had plastic food displays, which I first learned is popular in Japan from the Sesame Street special, “Big Bird Goes to Japan” (now, THAT was quality children’s programming!).

Plastic food display

Another plastic food display

Plastic food close-up

I bought an iced green tea latte, which I had never had before.  I wouldn’t get it again, but it was interesting to try.

Tea and ice cream menu. My green tea latte is on the right.

Before leaving we stopped to admire the beautifully packaged jellied treats at the bakery.  Some of the packaging was more appealing than the pastries, but I would be curious to try one on our next trip.

Japanese bakery

Pastries in packaging that reminded me of soap

Cute bunnies on the left

Cake and mochi

I had a really fun time at the Japanese mall and I would love to go back to the food court for a meal.  It looked like a few of the store fronts were empty, but I did see a Shiseido make up store and a bookstore.  There was also a sign for a free shuttle from NYC, although it says on the website that the shuttle is $3 dollars.  Either way, it’s a good deal and a great mini-trip from NYC for Japanese culture immersion.