If ever you find yourself in need of a Totoro made out of bread, a freeze-dried meal with preparation instructions you don't understand or the particularly delicious-sounding soft drink 'Pocari Sweat' then the Japan Centre is the store for you. In seriousness, it is a brilliantly authentic Japanese supermarket, the closest you'll get to actual Japan without sitting on a plane for 12 hours. I haven't tried the sushi yet, but I hear it's the best in London. Disappointing lack of plum juice though. read more

I go here for the sushi and Japanese supermarket! The instant yaki soba is really good! The center has recently spilted into 2 shops now! The one at picadilly is now a homeware and book store, whilst the one in regent St is now the sushi and supermarket department read more

Going to Japan in a few weeks and wanted to try some food before hand. Headed to the Japan Centre and ate at their TOKU restaurant. Tried sushi, chicken and rice and tempura. All AMAZING. Can't wait to go to Japan now. Shame it's closing on February 20, but apparently it's going to open somewhere else. Worth going before it closes, it's really good food and good value too. Really big, wide ranging menu; polite, quick service; and a buzzy atmopshere. After eating, head to Regent's Street to their supermarket where you can buy cook books and all the ingredients you need to try the food at home. read more

The Japan Centre is a combination of a restaurant, take away sushi joint, grocery store and travel agent and book store (all focussing upon Japan obviously). The restaurant food is good, reasonably cheap (for Piccadilly Circus) but the takeaway is the best value (sushi rolls and sashimi for around £3 for a tray). It is almost always busy, but never dull. The grocery store stocks lots of Japanese products and meats so good to pick up your green tea ice cream powder read more

I need to go back to this place about 8 times before being about to write a review, but first impressions were GREAT. Great stockist of lots of Japanese foods and products. My only complaint is the lack of English on some labels - I only say this because it is place not exclusively used by Japanese expats and at times it was hard to find things (or once I got home - how to use/make them!). Didn't buy any sushi, but was sorely tempted as the prices were mouth-droppingly low. They also had fresh sashimi on hand sliced for free, which I definitely will indulge in on my next trip. Carries all sorts of food stuffs and kitchen goods (including lots of bento accessories!). Their online store is even bigger and has prompt, courteous service (having recently gotten a delivery, I am quite happy). read more

I love the sushi in here - it is really fresh and very low priced - and amazing value for Central London. As for the rest, well excellent selection of Japanese goods at a reasonable price. Definitely worth going for the Sushi. read more

This place is absolutely fantastic if you are a lover of Japanese food then you should definitely visit. It is located next of Piccadilly Circus and has all sorts of Japanese food, from sweets and biscuits to instant noodles. It also has a section selling a selection of Japanese bakery products and cooking utensils. Next door there is also a restaurant serving sushi. However the biggest attraction for me is the take away sushi service. Here you can buy sushi starting at £2.00 and it is all made fresh everyday. It is by far the cheapest sushi you can get in the central London area and makes a great snack or just a quick lunch! read more

I love Japanese food so when I heard about Japan Centre I was really excited about what I was going to find. I have to say that it didn't disappointed me at all. The place is fantastic. The ground floor is the supermarket, the basement has a travel agency and the first floor a posh restaurant. The supermarket has a huge range of Japanese products that are not easy to find in other places. They sell a lot of fresh food (fish and meat) and ready to eat sushi that has amazing value. They also have a small bakery area. In the last months they have change a bit the distribution of the supermarket (adding some seats to enjoy the sushi in-store) and I hope that even tough is been more famous it will maintain the same quality and prices. read more

The main thing I go for at the Japan Centre is its sushi: Good and cheap for its quality. You will have to buy them from the supermarket portion of the store as eating in is more expensive. With that said, however, the food at its restaurant is pretty good as well. You can probably have a good meal for 10 to 15 pounds, though 10 may be sufficient depending on what you're ordering. Upstairs is the bookshop, where you will be able to find Japanese novels, publications and educational material. If you're studying a elementary Japanese course, you might well be told to buy your material from this place. At least I was. read more

I miss the old Japan centre I have to say when it was just the simple bar seating around the kitchen. It was such a discovery to find somewhere for authentic udon noodle dishes that wasn't the crazy rush of Wagamama. Now it has grown and become busier it is still just as good but not as intimate or restful. I think some of the big sushi rolls are great for lunchtime sharing. However, the sushi for sale in the supermarket next door to the restaurant, to my taste, is over seasoned with mayo and spices. Sure, it is cheap for London standards, but it tastes a bit too. The supermarket bit is great though, especially for hard wearing everyday Japanese plates etc. Also, if you like miso soup, but the packs of 20 that some in the plastic sachets. I think they have two varieties, one with seaweed and our with mountain vegetables. So easy to make as a snack in the afternoon instead of reaching for chocolate. read more

Japan Centre is one of my favorite places in London. I love the shop where I can find all the ingredients to cook Japanese dishes at home like Japanese curry or okonomi yaki, they also have my favorite Japanese treat "kinoko no yama" (=mountain's mushrooms), small chocolate biscuits in a shape of a mushroom, cute and yummy! Also the take-away maki and sushi are amazingly good and cheap. I also love the restaurant but if you're going for fish it's a bit pricey, the rest of the dishes are not very expensive. I think their best dish is the katsudon (fried pork served with eggs and onions on rice) I could have it everyday!!! read more

Great for light Japanese eating; if you want to spend no more than £10 and have less than 20 min for lunch, this is the place for you (near Piccadilly). Great ramen. Interesting cultural centre that combines a Japanese supermarket, restaurant and publications. read more

Nice & central in London, (practically) next to an exit of the piccadilly tube station, they have a good selection of fresh takeaway sushi ready prepared (& really well priced which is fab!!) in the main entrance, then further back store items for sale like some chinaware & prepackaged grocery items. Well sized & friendly - I really like grabbing some sushi from here & taking down to St James' Park nearby for an impromptu picnic when the weather is nice! read more

I'm biased towards any proper Japanese shop/restaurant and this is definitely the real deal. The sushi is absolutely delicious and I would (and do) go out of my way to go there to pick some up even when I've got a two hour journey home ahead of me! The shop has everything you could possibly want. It's not just about price - sometimes there's that essential ingredient you need at home that you just can't find anywhere else. Plus, if you're even at all considering going to Japan at some point it's always worth checking out the Japan Centre's flights. Unless Air France or Virgin have a direct sale on, the Japan Centre is often extremely competitive to buy a ticket through. read more

I think this store is a amazing for japan fans It has learning kanji books and other learning books Japan sweets. Magazines. Matcha making tools Chilled desserts Packet foods I just love it read more

A world of fun for fans of Japanese culture slap bang in the middle of London. Whether it's sushi you came for, to pick some ingredients or even some manga, you can usually find it here. I tend to pop down once in a while to get some of the awesome wasabi peas (they taste exactly how they sound!) or some frozen edamane. This place was also good when I was learning japanese, there are loads of books to help (confuse) you! Don't forget to sit down and have a quick bite to eat before you head back on the tube. read more

Great sushi, some of the best in London. Beware of it being more expensive in the adjacent restaurant. Best to stick with the supermarket downstairs. read more

Nice place and considering that it's an all-in-one shop, restaurant and bookstore, the food is surprisingly good. A bit expensive but not crazy and definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

Ah the Japan centre. I used to go on here to buy Manga character keychains and bizarre 'street culture' magazines that i couldn't read. Now they've done it up a bit and the focus is much more on the food and drink, but that isn't such a bad thing (I've grown out of the manga keychains now anyway). The Japanese supermarket is a great place to browse for the weird and the wonderful, and there's some fantastic treats to be had if you're prepared to do your research. The sushi bar is very tempting... until you see the prices (there's some real sushi bargains to be had in soho) but if you've go the cash to splash then the staff are very helpful and friendly. read more

Not as many options as I hoped but still nice. Pretty expensive like Whole Foods and has a food bar. I got tuna salad that was not good it was very dry! I love the other tea options and seasonal options as well. But very sad that many things were out of stock. Limited fresh produce as well read more

The premade sushi here is horrific. Avoid avoid avoid. It's also absurdly expensive. You can find yelp to find many much better options in the area. read more

I wish we had a place like this in Milano. A gourmet supermarket completely dedicated to Japanese food and drinks. Here you can find anything you need and dream of. Attended by the huge London Japanese community. Wide and quality selection of japanese Sake (Nihonshu) and Shochu. Quick and fresh sushi bar (also take away). Very convenient and central, also an e-commerce site. To put on your "A" list or "J" list read more

Thought I should add that they did a massive renovation several years ago and split the facilities into two buildings - so, if you haven't been to the new address, you'll be very surprised. Also, they have added a Sake store down in the basement of one of the buildings. When I went the shop assistant didn't really know much about Sake - which struck me as odd, given that they had just launched - but they had a great range and allowed tastings. read more

The best grocery item I have ever purchased came from the Japan Centre. It's called Mr Bond Coffee - not a particular exciting thing in Japan I know, you can find it all over the place, but this particular can of Mr Bond showed 'Mr Bond' in a Sherlock Holmes style deerstalker (a fantastic hybrid of spy and detective) and underneath had the catchphrase "I'm Young, I'm Coffee". Wait - I'm young! I'm (kinda ) coffee - this product is speaking to me! I must purchase it! The thing about a lot of the things I buy here is that I choose them for their packaging rather than the experience I'm hoping to achieve when I usually eat or drink things. Hence my main aim is buying something I think is 'freaky'... And this can of Mr Bond almost did for me with its levels of caffeine and sugar. One of my other favourite Japan Centre purchases promised me 'A smooth and sensual ending to any dinner engagement'... Most of the reviews here rave about the sushi - and I agree whole heartedly. Some of the best value in London - but I'm really here for the sheer inventiveness of the products the Japanese can come up with and will try and market to me in conceptually cracked English. Nothing says 'This sweet will make you happy', like the logo 'This sweet will make you happy', and I'm going to award extra points for honesty. So honest, inventive and totally unique products that you're not sure why effect they will have on you when you consume them... Sounds like the most fun you can have while grocery shopping doesn't it? And you can pick up a very cool lunch box if you fancy it as well. read more

I have mixed feelings about the Japan Centre. On the one hand, I've been cooking much more Japanese/Korean food over the past year and though small, the Japan Centre is my favorite Asian grocery store in central London. I usually come here about once every two weeks and have come to rely on it for stocking up on my Japanese essentials and even some homewares. It is very clean, ultra modern, has a very good selection and great service- all in all, a great shopping environment and a welcome change from the usual run down Asian grocery stores in Chinatown.The website is also superb and useful for online shopping, recipes and other useful tips. Also, even though you wouldn't think it, the prices are competitive with its Chinatown counterparts. While I love the Japan Centre for groceries, I can't say the same for the prepared food take-away section at the front. It is licensed out to another company (Umai) and the donburi, sushi and baked goods are mediocre at best. I even bought some sushi once and was horrified to find the rice hard and stale. I've also been consistently disappointed by stale tasting buns from the bakery (curry buns in particular). I get the impression that the take away hot food caters to the crowds of tourists that come in off Piccadilly and the quality suffers as a result. So, if you're looking for Japanese cooking ingredients, the Japan Centre is a good place to start, but I'd avoid the ready made take away at the front! read more

I LOVE this place! I thought I couldn't find natto outside of Japan but here it is!! They have everything, from meals to go to fresh fish (sashimi grade) and meat, all sorts of noodles, sauces and tea. It feels a bit like a 7/11! The only downside is that it's a bit pricey but it's all imported, so fair enough. read more

Love this place, since I'm a big fan of Japanese snacks. (Anything that's matcha flavored hehehe) Apart from snacks there's also hot food and groceries, Japanese books and magazines and bento boxes etc. read more

Going here for lunch? Expect absolute chaos. But expect it to be worth it! It's important to go into detail about the ordering process, so you know just what to expect. The layout is all wrong; the room too small for the different things going on. When you reach the top of the escalator is a vast array of fridges all with different sushi / chilled food options. You have to pay for those at the tills, as you would the supermarket section (the middle of the room). Fine. To your right is a hot counter (next to a cold meats counter, selling fancy expensive beef and the like) - that hot counter has 3 sections: ordering (hot food), picking up (hot food), and paying (for anything - like you would the main tills - but only one till). And no way of knowing which queue you are in, and certainly no room to stand and figure it out. So you find your way to the "end" of the queue to order, get a ticket, take that to a different queue which you hope is for the till, and get your ticket stamped. THEN go back to the start (by the cold counter, but not AT the cold counter) where you can wait for your order to be called out. Sometimes, if you're lucky, they'll call the number of your order - otherwise you'll have to listen out for the dish and do your best to claim it! Absolute madness. BUT it is absolutely completely worth it... from what I have tried thus far. The katsu curry is more expensive than most at £7.60 - but it is better than most. Sooo much better than most. The sushi is so varied in selection that you struggle to make a decision - but it's all delicious with plenty of fish & rice for what you pay. Which again is more than most places, but you do at least feel well fed with quality sushi by the time you're done. There appears to be a grand selection of all things Japanese in the supermarket, which is good since it's in the way of the lunch chaos. I'm sure they make a killing on both. But go! You can do it! It'll be worth it in the end, trust me :) read more

A necessity for lovers of Japanese food here in London. There is an extensive selection of takeaway meals (sushi, katsudon, curry rice, onigiri...) which are expensive but delicious. The grocery towards the back of the store has pretty much every ingredient you could want for Japanese cooking. Not too much in the way of dishes/cookware, and everything is quite pricey, but hey, this is right next to Piccadilly Circus, so what do you expect? While I like to buy most of my Asian ingredients in other shops in Chinatown that are slightly cheaper, there are always certain ingredients that I can only find here (kamaboko!). read more

Vastly entertaining even without buying anything, shopping here is like stepping into another world in the middle of London. Great Wasabi Peas, and try the green KitKats for something different! read more

I tried the takoyakis that were cooked next to the entrance of the shop. I had asked not to get the fish flakes since I find them too salty for my taste but they were added anyway and I was told it was the last order of the day so I took them nonetheless. They were okay, not so flavoursome and some of them didn't have a piece of octopus. Get them for the experience, but don't expect much if you've had them in Japan. read more

Yes it's packed, and yes Tesco is cheaper, but there is a reason for it: Great quality food - imports from Japan, cold packaged take away food, warm freshly made meals, and fresh Sushi grade fish... I haven't found anything there yet that I couldn't find (well, obviously), but in all seriousness, of the 500 most popular Japanese foods and ingredients they offer close to all. read more

Yup, the Japanese centre is your one stop shop for all things Japanese. I usually pop in for the cheap and varied sushi if I'm in the area and hungry for lunch. They also sell ingredients, which can be hard to find in the UK, an array of spices, noodles, pastes as well as sushi making kits and a good selection of drinks and sake. Asahi beer, cold tea or plum wine, take your pick. If you're not after food, the Japanese centre also stocks chopsticks, miso soup bowls, magazines, books, cards.... like I said, anything and everything Japanese. I've always wanted to go to Japan, but while I'm saving for the plane ticket, this is as close as you can get. read more

Situated next to Japan Centre in Picadilly Circus, I came here for lunch with my workmates. The food is good but expensive for what it is. I am more inclined to head to Golders Green where prices are friendlier and food is better. read more

Having spent some time in Japan, I am always nostalgic when visiting this large shopping emporium near Piccadilly Circus. All of my favourite 'weird and wonderfuls' are here - inari pockets, natto, onigiri rice balls, decorated chopsticks, nigiri moulds, a good selection of misos, lacquer serving dishes - I could go on and on. The prices could be cheaper but the selection of goods is so wide that it is difficult to feel hard done by. The sushi counter at the front won't win any prizes for authenticity but compared to other sources of sticky rice kicks in this city, it's relatively inexpensive, ridiculously so after 4.30pm when all prices are halved. Downstairs you'll find a good Japanese language bookshop and newsagent, especially useful for any budding Ni-hongo students. Next door is the excellent and ever-busy Japan-centre ramen noodle restaurant. read more

Nice place to go if you REALLY want Japanese snacks and fast food. The sushi and pre-made food might be something you could go for. But honestly, for other packaged snacks and Japanese ingredients, it makes me wonder "Is it really worth the price?" "Am I buying this because I really need it?" Although seeing the Japanese food excited me, as a poor international student, it was sad to end up not being able to buy anything. read more

Came here a couple of time as the food here are fresh. The sushi bento boxes and other sushi dishes are very good. Prices are considered very good in my opinion and I'm very frugal. It's got a couple of big tables customers can sit and eat. I bought my takoyaki from the street vendor and ate upstairs. Idk if it was worth the 5 pounds but I had to try it as it looked delicious. It was excellent but the price is still too much in my opinion. Everything they sell is pretty much japanese related. the store is always busy. The staff is helpful. I would definitely come back when if I visit London again. read more

I love the supermarket in the basement -there's also a really great takeaway sushi counter down there - the restaurant above I've never tried. The stuff in the supermarket is all in Japanese but I've found the staff really helpful if you ask questions. The best place to get ingredients for things like Okonomiyaki. Totally authentic. They do a great email newsletter as well that gives you sale information and stuff. read more

The place to go in Central London for one-stop Japanese food shopping. The place is usually teeming with shoppers and can get rather cramped. Much better selection of home and kitchen products since they expanded. Their sake shop is really worth a visit and the staff are generally helpful and friendly. read more

I went here on a relatively quiet Sunday night after a recommendation and I was pretty disappointed. Overpriced rolls for the quality. The tempura was so greasy I couldn't even finish it. I would suggest going to Tomoe on Marylebone Lane instead read more