IKEA Japan Food Court Any Japanese Food
IKEA Japan Food Court Any Japanese Food
Overview
In this livestream episode, John Daub takes viewers to the IKEA food court in Minami Funabashi, Chiba, the first IKEA location established in Japan in 2006. Accompanied by his wife Kanae, John explores how the Swedish giant adapts its menu for the Japanese market. While classic Swedish meatballs are available, the focus is on unique local offerings like Japanese curry rice, karaage (fried chicken), and even dango (sweet dumplings).
The video captures the atmosphere during the pandemic era, with social distancing measures in place and plastic shields at the counter. John interacts with his livestream chat, sharing personal updates about recent travels to Akita and future plans for Kochi. The episode serves as both a food review and a casual check-in with his community, highlighting the blend of foreign and domestic culture found in Japanese chain restaurants.
Highlights
- 00:00:05 John introduces the IKEA Minami Funabashi location, the first in Japan opened in 2006.
- 00:01:09 Overview of the menu prices, noting Swedish meatballs are around $7.
- 00:02:20 Discovery of the Dango San Kyodai (Three Dango Brothers) plate, a uniquely Japanese dessert item.
- 00:03:04 John notes the availability of curry rice, suspecting it is exclusive to IKEA Japan.
- 00:05:00 Decision to try the sausage curry, a special menu item.
- 00:05:54 Surprise discovery of karaage (Japanese fried chicken) on the menu.
- 00:07:32 John finds Suntory alcohol-free beer and draft beer options but declines due to driving.
- 00:13:29 Seated at the table, John presents the full spread of food including curry and meatballs.
- 00:15:45 John shares a story about an oatmeal shortage in Japan during the pandemic.
- 00:18:22 John tastes the curry and wraps up the livestream, thanking viewers.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00 - Introduction at IKEA Minami Funabashi entrance.
- 00:01 - Browsing the hot food menu and prices.
- 00:02 - Looking at desserts and finding Dango San Kyodai.
- 00:03 - Reviewing sandwiches and curry options.
- 00:05 - Ordering food and discovering karaage.
- 00:07 - Checking out the beverage station and alcohol options.
- 00:09 - Getting utensils and drinks.
- 00:12 - Finding a table and setting up for the livestream.
- 00:13 - Food presentation and initial tasting.
- 00:15 - Chat interaction and story about oatmeal shortage.
- 00:17 - Pandemic etiquette reminder (masks off to eat).
- 00:18 - Final thoughts and sign-off.
Japan Travel Tips
- IKEA Family Card: Bring your IKEA Family card for discounts on food and items. John mentions having had the same card since 2006.
- Menu Localization: Expect Japanese staples like curry rice and karaage alongside Swedish classics.
- Alcohol: Some IKEA locations in Japan serve alcohol, including draft beer (nama beer) and wine.
- Location: The Minami Funabashi store is accessible via train or car (Toyota Rent-A-Car mentioned).
- Pandemic Etiquette: Masks must be worn until seated at the table; social distancing measures were in place during this 2020 visit.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Dango San Kyodai (団子三兄弟): Literally "Three Dango Brothers," a reference to a popular Japanese children's song and sweet dumpling snack. Unusual to find at IKEA.
- Karaage (唐揚げ): Japanese-style fried chicken, typically marinated in soy sauce and ginger.
- Ohashi (お箸): Chopsticks. John notes they were not immediately visible at the utensil station.
- Nama Beer (生ビール): Draft beer. John notes he could pour it himself but couldn't drink because he was driving.
- Komugi (小麦): Wheat. John identifies the green dango flavor as wheat grass rather than matcha.
- Mochi (餅): Rice cake component of the dango.
Food & Drink Guide
- Swedish Meatballs: Classic option, approx $7. Served with fries or potatoes.
- Sausage Curry Rice: Japanese curry with a sausage. Approx $5. John notes it tastes pretty good.
- Dango San Kyodai: Three colored dumplings (green/wheat, white/mochi, pink/cherry blossom). Described as cute and unusual for IKEA.
- Karaage: 6 pieces for approx $3. John was surprised to see this at IKEA.
- Suntory Malts: Beer available at the counter. John declined as he was driving.
- Green Tea / Juice: Available at the drink machine.
- Thyme Cake: Noted as "really really good" by John.
- Wrap Sandwiches: Noted as affordable compared to convenience stores.
People
- John Daub: Host. Curious about the Japanese localization of the IKEA menu. Interacts frequently with livestream chat.
- Kanae Daub: John's wife. Joins him for dinner, selects sausage curry and fries.
- Jake (Australia): Viewer mentioned by John.
- Raymond Santana: Viewer mentioned by John.
- Marty Dittmer: Viewer mentioned regarding a package delivery.
Key Takeaways
- IKEA Japan significantly localizes its food court menu to include Japanese favorites like curry and karaage.
- The IKEA Family card provides discounts on food purchases.
- Pandemic protocols in 2020 required masks until seated and social distancing in lines.
- Some IKEA locations in Japan serve alcohol, including self-serve draft beer.
Notable Quotes
- 00:02:20 "This is a Dango San Kyodai (Three Dango Brothers) plate. Look at this. You wanna try it Kanae?"
- 00:05:00 "I've never had sausage curry at IKEA before. It's a special on the menu."
- 00:05:54 "Oh my gosh, that's karaage. Can I try karaage? This is IKEA karaage."
- 00:07:40 "I'm driving, Kanae. I can't get a beer. I'm driving."
- 00:15:45 "Since February there's been an oatmeal shortage in Japan. And on Amazon packages of oatmeal were being sold for up to $70."
Related Topics
- Japanese Convenience Store Food
- Foreign Chains in Japan
- Pandemic Life in Japan
- Chiba Prefecture Travel
- Japanese Curry Culture
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #ikea #funabashi #chiba #japanese-food #curry #karaage #dango #food-court #livestream #pandemic #travel-japan
Full Transcript
00:00:05 John Daub: Hello everybody, welcome to IKEA Japan. This is the first location that they started in 2006 and we're gonna go and check out the food. Oh look at all the carts here. How you doing? We're gonna practice social distancing. There's Kanae over there.
00:00:31 John Daub: We've come here for dinner. She just wants to get something with potatoes, she said. But do they have something more than just Swedish meatballs? We're gonna find out here at the first IKEA in Japan. In 2006 they built this one. I remember when it opened. I was one of the first customers. Let's check it out and see what they got on the menu. So join us.
00:01:09 John Daub: Tray is over here. Right away you can see. Look at that. Wow. That's just Swedish meatballs, no french fries. That's about $7. How much for the potato? Oh it depends on how many you order. Here. $12 for $6.99.
00:01:42 John Daub: There's not a lot of people. There's a lot of people here. I don't know. Do we need a mug? It's $1. Oh I got my family card. So I think we can even get a bigger discount.
00:02:20 Kanae Daub: Yeah.
00:02:20 John Daub: These are the desserts here. So what do they got? Like chocolate cake? Oh that's Japanese. Alright they got one thing there. This is the thyme cake that's really really good. And it's behind a plastic sheet. This one is so Japanese. Keep going Kanae. Yeah there's a lot of Japanese. This is a Dango San Kyodai (Three Dango Brothers) plate. Look at this. You wanna try it Kanae? A Dango San Kyodai plate. It's cute. You wanna eat it? You really wanna eat it? Okay let's get one. We're gonna get one Dango San Kyodai. That's very unusual to find it at IKEA.
00:03:04 John Daub: This cherry strawberry cake looks so good. Here. And the plastic also kind of puts some distance between us. Of course they got these salmon plates here. And wrap sandwiches. But that's pretty affordable. These wrap sandwiches at the convenience stores sometimes are $4 for half a one. Yeah this is pretty cheap for wrap sandwiches. And then there's like shrimp on toast. That's about $4.99 or about $4.50 for that. Autumn pancake. The only thing on the menu that I see here is they have curry rice on the menu. It's for children. There's a kid's curry rice for like $2. That's about it. I think I might just get the meatballs Kanae.
00:04:10 Kanae Daub: Yeah. I don't know. What do you want to eat? How many?
00:04:20 John Daub: Okay. Then I'll have eight. This one looks good too. They have a vegetable spinach and ragout sauce. Ragout? Never heard of that. That looks good. And then there's a salmon. And then there's this one here which is cabbage rolls. Oh potatoes? Fried potatoes? Kanae likes the fried potatoes here. And you can get the curry rice. This is the sausage curry.
00:04:51 Kanae Daub: Kanai, I want to eat sausage curry.
00:04:53 John Daub: What size?
00:04:55 Kanae Daub: M size.
00:05:00 John Daub: I've never had sausage curry at IKEA before. It's a special on the menu. So we're gonna try that. And they have a vegetarian curry. I think the curry is only in Japan. I've never seen that at IKEA before.
00:05:13 John Daub: Have you? You've never seen it before, right?
00:05:15 Kanae Daub: I haven't. I've never been in American IKEA.
00:05:20 John Daub: This looks good too. Salmon. Oh I saw a sausage coming in there. Bye bye. Okay. Thank you. It's good. Oh my gosh. This is dinner, man. This is dinner, Kanae. Alright, let's take it to the table.
00:05:51 Kanae Daub: It's okay. Yeah.
00:05:54 John Daub: I think I have... Oh, they have other stuff here. Is that tempura? Oh wait, that's karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Oh my gosh, that's karaage. Can I try karaage? This is IKEA karaage. I've never seen that before. $3 for six. Wow. I don't think I want that though. I don't think I'm gonna get the karaage. It looks good though. I didn't know IKEA had karaage. Interesting.
00:06:28 John Daub: What do they got here, Kanae?
00:06:33 Kanae Daub: Spinach?
00:06:34 John Daub: Spinach bread. Spinach bread and pretzels. Ah. Do you see in here my IKEA family card? I think it's cheaper if you have a family card.
00:06:53 Kanae Daub: What's the cheaper one?
00:06:54 John Daub: Yeah, I don't want to forget my family card because you get a discount. Oh, here it is. Now hold on. I think this is it. Yes, I have it. I've had the same card since like 2006. Here, use that. I think they give you a discount or something. Here's my wallet, Kanae. Hey, Jake's here from Australia. Thanks, Jake.
00:07:32 John Daub: Whoa, they have Suntory alcohol-free beer. That's pretty cool.
00:07:38 Kanae Daub: Beer?
00:07:40 John Daub: Oh, they do have Suntory malts. That's awesome. So you can get a beer at IKEA. No, I'm driving, Kanae. I can't get a beer. I'm driving. And they have wine that you can try here inside the IKEA. That's pretty cool. In fact, it's nama beer (draft beer). I can pour it myself, but I can't because I'm driving. That's awesome. I'm coming here by train next time.
00:09:02 John Daub: Thank you.
00:09:08 John Daub: Can I—they don't have, uh, ohashi (chopsticks).
00:09:14 John Daub: You want mustard?
00:09:16 Kanae Daub: Oh, yeah.
00:09:21 John Daub: And I think we need a spoon for the curry rice. Okay, what do you want to get to drink?
00:09:36 Kanae Daub: Oh, this drink machine is out of order.
00:09:38 John Daub: That's out of order, too. Oh, we gotta go to the front? Okay. Hmm. Okay.
00:09:47 John Daub: Where are you going?
00:09:48 Kanae Daub: I'm going to the store.
00:09:53 John Daub: Where are you going?
00:09:57 Kanae Daub: I'm going to the store.
00:09:59 John Daub: What do you want to order?
00:10:01 Kanae Daub: Uh...
00:10:04 John Daub: What do you want?
00:10:06 Kanae Daub: Anything is fine.
00:10:07 John Daub: I want green tea.
00:10:16 Kanae Daub: That's not green tea.
00:10:18 John Daub: That's like Udon tea or something.
00:10:20 Kanae Daub: Oh, it's green tea.
00:10:23 John Daub: So they got green tea. No, I think just juice.
00:10:28 Kanae Daub: I want juice first.
00:10:29 John Daub: I like juice. This is for one person.
00:10:34 Kanae Daub: Oh, that's fine.
00:10:36 John Daub: I'll take whatever you want. One more. Juice. Alright, I'm going to roll you now to the table that we picked, okay? These carts are hard to wheel. I'm going to crash. Nice and slow. Just take it nice and slow.
00:12:00 John Daub: Hey, there's my bag. I did it! Awesome! Here comes Kanae. Yeah, this is nice. See, but there's a kind of a flicker from the light. So, yeah, that is a big curry. I'm going to move it over here a little bit.
00:13:01 John Daub: Kanae, wait a minute. Can I move the table a little bit? Now the tables are bolted down. There's kind of a flicker from this light. I have an idea. I'm going to move it over here. Okay. Alright, so this is the food that we have here.
00:13:29 John Daub: How you doing? Welcome to IKEA in Minami Funabashi. This is the Tokyo Bay one. You can see the Japanese flag with the Swedish flag. We come in here just to shop for some furniture. Kind of redoing my desk and stuff like that. It's not the best hair day. But what are you going to do? We drove here. This is curry rice. This was about 5 dollars. So basically it's Japanese curry rice. But they put a sausage here. A Swedish sausage. Or is it a Japanese sausage? Only one way to find out. There's a piece of cauliflower in there. That looks really good. Curry rice is a staple of Japanese cuisine. And this one is a staple of Swedish cuisine. That looks really good.
00:14:16 John Daub: Does this look like the same Swedish meatballs in your country at your IKEA? Or IKEA. In Japanese we say IKEA. And it's IKEA in the United States. Kanae likes the french fries. Which were about a dollar. How much was it? About 2 dollars for that one. And then this one is. This one was very unusual. This is the Dango San Kyodai. Why do they have this at IKEA? This is weird. This is very unusual. This is very Japanese. And I thought this would be good to try together. Really quickly. This one is Dango San Kyodai. It's a spring food. And we're almost into fall. It's not matcha color. This is actually komugi (wheat grass). Which is a kind of weed. A grass. It's really a little bit bitter. The white one is just mochi. And the pink one has a little bit. I guess it's cherry blossom. I'm not sure. But it's the non-Japanese name for it. Good job, chat. And Kanae got the sweet meatballs. We'll probably share. But hers looks better than mine. Mine has volume to it. Curry rice is so healthy. That sausage. Maybe not. I don't think I needed that sausage.
00:15:45 John Daub: Raymond Santana is in the house. How you doing, Raymond? So we went to Costco. And we loaded up on this. I want to tell you something that's really weird. Since February there's been an oatmeal shortage in Japan. And on Amazon packages of oatmeal were being sold for up to $70. You know the... It's like a 4 kilogram. Like a 10 pound box of regular Quaker oatmeal. It's not organic. Nothing special about it. They wanted $70 for it. And I actually bought one. Because I just wanted oatmeal. I bought it for back at $12. But there's been a massive shortage of oatmeal because of the pandemic. And finally Costco had it. So I had to go and get me some oatmeal. It actually paid for itself. I didn't want to pay $70 for another oatmeal. So we got that. And pancake mix. And things that we needed for a couple of months. That we haven't been able to go out and get at Costco. And this is Minami Funabashi. And Costco is at Makuhari. And I got a Toyota Rent-A-Car. And came out here for a few days. Because I've been away in Akita. And Kanae wanted to get away. We should spend the day together. Here's the Toyota Rent-A-Car. The key. So we drove there.
00:17:10 John Daub: Excuse me. We have a customer who sent us a video. Oh I see. I understand. So we might have been given some consideration. I understand. Excuse me. Got in trouble. Keep a low voice. But we have to take these off to eat. We tried to pick an area that didn't have a lot of people. Alright. So gonna wait for Kanae. But I just wanted to try this curry rice here really quickly.
00:18:22 John Daub: Tastes pretty good. Tastes pretty good. Duck Thai Boys. Thank you Jake. Thank you Edo. Shoe Pa. Moneer. I'll get the beer next time. I'm driving. Jeannie Lestrada. Thank you. Cosmin from Romania. How you doing? Raymond. Marty Dittmer. Meatballs and Gravy. Shane. I'm glad that Marty got his package. And Ryan. Thank you Ryan K. Alright guys. So that's the experience of getting pretty good. Dutch D'IKEA. Japanese experience. I hope that you learned something about the menu here. Thanks for watching. And I'll see you in another livestream tomorrow. It's Saturday. I'm gonna be doing some livestreams in Kochi Prefecture. Bye bye. Thanks Mary. I'm in trouble.