Hashi customers Aiquin Wang and daughter Emilia choose their lunch from the large selection of grab-and-go foods on display during the opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
Hashi customers Aiquin Wang and daughter Emilia choose their lunch from the large selection of grab-and-go foods on display during the opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
On Friday morning, San Jose’s Alex Cheng and his co-workers decided to take an early lunch. Not for a round of golf or off-site meeting, but to stand in line at the debut of the Bay Area’s latest wow-factor supermarket, Hashi Market in Cupertino.
“We were curious to see it,” Cheng said. “They didn’t do a lot of marketing on social media until just a few days ago. So it added some intrigue.”
Hashi Market, which has six locations in New York City, opened its doors on Stevens Creek Boulevard at 10 a.m. to a swarm of curious and very patient customers — about 1,700 by day’s end — who started lining up as early as 7:30 a.m. The line went out the door and consumed the entire parking lot, snaking like a TSA queue. Cashiers were ringing up 300 transactions an hour for most of the morning. For the occasion, Hashi Market flew in Yosakoi dancers from Japan to perform in front of what is the company’s first location on the West Coast. Their energetic movements set the tone for the momentous occasion.
A long line at the entrance of Hashi Market for opening day on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif. People began waiting in line at 7:30am.
A long line at the entrance of Hashi Market for opening day on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif. People began waiting in line at 7:30am.
Many food stations offering food samples make for a fun and delicious opening at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
Many food stations offering food samples make for a fun and delicious opening at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
Customers shop from the large selection of snacks at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
Customers shop from the large selection of snacks at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
Customers wait in line during the grand opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
Customers wait in line during the grand opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
“This is our flagship store in California, so we really put a lot of passion and energy and effort into this location,” Ava Liu, head of operations, told SFGATE once inside the store, near a station sampling tuna sashimi air-freighted from Japan. Liu said the company chose the city of Cupertino simply because “it’s a central place for California. Apple is here. Everyone knows it.”
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Hashi Market is part of a wave of new Asian supermarkets opening in the Bay Area this year. Canadian favorite T&T Supermarket arrived in San Jose in June, just months after Tokyo Central made its Emeryville debut in February, drawing some 8,000 people to the Bay Street mall. In March, Korean megastore H Mart opened its long-awaited Dublin location, welcoming 10,000 shoppers throughout the day.
The 20,000-square foot Hashi Market, a former Sprouts Farmers Market, specializes in imported Japanese products, from snacks and produce to seafood, meat and sake. It has a large selection of items from Hokkaido, including beef, rice, cheesecake, premium chocolate and melons that fetch $59. Hashi also has its own bakery and two massive aisles devoted to lifestyle and beauty products from brands like Senka, Canmake and Bonbory.
The cutting of a 200-pound bluefin tuna is one of the attractions at the opening of Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
The cutting of a 200-pound bluefin tuna is one of the attractions at the opening of Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
A large selection of snacks and chips is one of the many attractions at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
A large selection of snacks and chips is one of the many attractions at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
One of the many food stations at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., offering samples of Hokkaido rice available at the supermarket.
One of the many food stations at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., offering samples of Hokkaido rice available at the supermarket.
A wide selection of grab-and-go foods both hot and cold, including sushi, teriyaki salmon and wagyu beef, is on display during the opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
A wide selection of grab-and-go foods both hot and cold, including sushi, teriyaki salmon and wagyu beef, is on display during the opening of Hashi Market on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
But it’s the grab-and-go section that’s truly a marvel — and a boon for nearby tech workers like Cheng or students at De Anza College just down the road. Three large-format kiosks feature an array of freshly prepared foods, from chicken katsu bentos and curry bowls to salmon teriyaki and $26 A5 wagyu rice bowls.
On the far right of the store, an entire wall is devoted to sushi rolls and boxes of nigiri. Soon, all sushi offerings will be discounted by 30% after 8 p.m., Liu said, a practice that has proven successful in Hashi Market’s New York City stores.
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“We are the fastest-growing Japanese market in New York,” Justin Li, operations director, told SFGATE earlier this month via phone, referring to the number of stores Hashi has opened since its New York debut in 2024. “Entrepreneurs, we like to go fast. Japan has become such a big part of the U.S. So many people are going there and there is simply a gap in the market that we saw that we could contribute to and fulfill.”
Ava Liu, the head of operations at Hashi Market, pauses for a photo during the grand opening of the first West Coast branch of the famous Japanese supermarket on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
Ava Liu, the head of operations at Hashi Market, pauses for a photo during the grand opening of the first West Coast branch of the famous Japanese supermarket on Oct. 9, 2026, in Cupertino, Calif.
Hairy crab imported from Hokkaido, Japan, is one of the many delicacies available at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
Hairy crab imported from Hokkaido, Japan, is one of the many delicacies available at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
The bakery at Hashi Market offers a daily selection of freshly made breads and sweets.
The bakery at Hashi Market offers a daily selection of freshly made breads and sweets.
Waygu beef products on offer at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
Waygu beef products on offer at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2026.
In addition to the six locations in New York City, two more are slated to open in Chelsea and the Upper East Side. The chain is growing at a rapid pace nationally, too. In addition to the Cupertino store, Li told SFGATE that Hashi Market is planning to debut 15 more stores by the end of 2027, including in Massachusetts and Colorado.
In the Bay Area, Cupertino is just the beginning for Hashi. The company has acquired Chinese grocery stores named Marina Grocery in Milpitas, San Mateo and Union City, which appear as “renovating” on the Hashi website. Currently, it’s adding Japanese items to test demand and determine if these locations will become Hashi Markets or another brand within the Toyo Group portfolio, Liu said.
A large selection of snacks and chips is one of the many attractions at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
A large selection of snacks and chips is one of the many attractions at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif.
An impressive assortment of vegetables and fruit occupies a large section of the supermarket.
An impressive assortment of vegetables and fruit occupies a large section of the supermarket.
An impressive assortment of vegetables and fruit occupies a large section of the supermarket.
An impressive assortment of vegetables and fruit occupies a large section of the supermarket.
The extensive beauty section at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., offers a wide selection of makeup and beauty products.
The extensive beauty section at Hashi Market in Cupertino, Calif., offers a wide selection of makeup and beauty products.
The Milpitas store, for instance, has quietly transitioned some of its advertising and branding to reflect the Hashi name. It also added signs for Fujiissa, the matcha tea and soft-serve kiosk popular in the New York stores, Liu confirmed.
Overall, she said she was “really surprised” by the turnout on Friday morning at the new Cupertino store, and that there was still a line of people trying to get into the store at 11 a.m. “I’m from New York,” Liu said. “We have lines, but not like this.”
Hashi Market, 20558 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino. Open daily, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
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Oct 10, 2026