Marukai Wholesale Mart

The worst phone service ever. You can never speak to a live person. I’ve been calling for the past three hours and can only get there answering machines no matter what button I press. Really poor service! I don’t think I’ll keep my membership there.

We frequent this place to get meat and vegetables for shabu shabu/​hotpot meals as they have thinly sliced meat and vegetable trays prepared solely for this purpose.
It is also fun walking around and seeing all the rest of the Japanese items they have. If you only speak English (like myself) it can be difficult to figure out what you are looking at for some of the foods with Japanese labels but the staff is helpful in translating, if needed.
Beyond the normal grocery store finds (meat, produce, sea food, frozen foods) there are also some kitchen supplies like bowls, chopsticks, and rice makers. They have fresh prepared food in the center which all looks very good as well.
They have a decent selection of sake and beer.
You can shop there without signing up for a membership but the prices are slightly more expensive. The membership is very reasonably priced (I think $ 15 a year if I remember correctly).

Terrible environment for leisure shopping, very uncomfortable due to high temperature inside.

Great and convenient place to shop in my neighborhood for Japanese groceries and day to day produce and regular supermarket items. It’s also got a food bar where I can get sushi and bentos, hot or cold noodles, even some other mixed plates and ethnic foods already prepared to go. They also have a small seating area if you want to eat at the store. After 4:30pm or so, the prices on the prepared foods are marked to a discount if you want to go at that time! There’s also a deli counter for fresh poke and fish, and then a sashimi area too, with lots of other seafood selections. Sometimes, there are special occasions where foods from particular regions of Japan are brought in for a select period as well. I go here regularly for quick items, to grab a lunch or dinner, as well as to stock my kitchen for cooking ingredients. You need a membership, but it’s well worth it.

If you need something Japanese, this is probably the place to find it.
If you need an old person, you will find them here also. Especially in the morning and around lunchtime. The old person population decreases in the afternoon and early evening, and I suspect this is because they eat dinner at 4:30 pm then go to bed.
I don’t have anything against old people. In fact, my children claim that I am an old person. I am simply pointing it out because they are an undeniable part of the Marukai daytime ambience. You’ll see.
Prices are not amazing. It feels like they should be amazing, because the place is ugly and a warehouse and they don’t have plastic bags at the cashier even if you want to buy them, but I have found several items cheaper at Don Quijote and Palama Market. Then again, Marukai has things those places don’t, and their specials can be pretty good.
Honestly, if it were not near my home I would probably never shop here as I am not big on snacks and msg sauces, but it IS near my home and therefore I am here more often than I would expect myself to be.
I purchase asian-​esque produce, natto, kitchen/​home type items like chopsticks and saucers, ponzu sauce, and mochi. The mochi is sold all over the island, but they are the most reliable stockers of the elbows. You know, the green ones. The ones that feel like a soft elbow. You know…
The prepared food is… meh. I’ve never been a huge fan and the dim sum pork hash is downright DISGUSTING, but I do enjoy the little trays of sides like lotus and pickles and such. These are delicious, but if I eat too much I begin to feel preserved.
My kids, however, love Marukai because we get to visit the crab and lobster tank. This is very exciting. This is what happens you keep the recreation bar loooowwww in your home, a tank of terribly unfortunate sea creatures becomes the highlight of the day. On our most recent visit, my youngest and I were treated to a show by an energetic lobster that was eating the leg off of a dead crab. I have never seen a lobster eat a crab’s leg before. It was simultaneously thrilling and horrible.
Yes.

Words cannot explain how much I love this place. Child hood memories right here!

I hate shopping on the weekends, but Marukai was pretty easy to handle on Saturday morning (around 1100). I found a parking stall right in front of the entrance/​exit doors in the shade! Lots of carts available before entering the store too. I come here only a few times a year so I stock up my pantry with a lot of stuff. I wandered around and ate all the samples they were serving (all the samples were for stuff on sale): fancy Japanese rice, canned curry on rice, Korean tofu soup, apples, and mochi. after filling up my cart with a variety of instant noodles and sauces, fresh/​hot food items for my lunch, and some of the best travel scissors ever… I went to stand in line. NO LINE! what?! all my stuff filled up the whole belt, but the cashier was super friendly and efficient and I paid in only a few minutes. BRING YOUR OWN BAGS! all my stuff fit into the bags I brought with me (thankfully) and I was out the door!
I like this location better than the Ward one because the selection is way bigger (obviously because the warehouse is larger).
TIPS:
Membership is required.
Bring your own reusable shopping bags.
Grab a cart before entering the store.
Grab a sample and move along (eat it on the side so others can grab some too)
Sale items are usually at the ends of the aisles

Its a very nice decent place and its my first time. Before I entered this place I contacted customer service to check if we needed a membership card to enter because per other peoples review I noticed it was mentioned its just like costco… Per worker over the phone A member or non member can enter but as you pay out price differs being a non member or being a member. I asked if how much would it cost to become a member. She states that it is $ 15 for 1 year membership for first time. To renew it costs $ 10 for another year. I thanked her. As I walked in, Security man smiled and greeted me. And its a pretty good looking asian market place. I see lots of Japanese products, foods, and drinks. Prices are probably I’d say $$. Not bad at all… They get good bentos, sushis, and plenty of other japanese and local stuffs. :) I enjoyed going in and bought snacks and drinks.

The good:
— selection of Japanese goods
— prices
The bad:
— inventory has been really bad lately
— quality of some stuff is pretty bad
— parking is insanely TIGHT
Ah Marukai… I’ve been coming here for years, but even more so since I moved to the Kapalama area a couple years ago. It is my go-​to for Japanese ingredients/​products, some household goods, and prepared foods. It’s a great place to find even common ingredients that aren’t so common elsewhere like boneless, skin-​on chicken thighs, Japanese style golden yolk eggs, and Japanese cuts of beef and pork. I do also love the Puri Puri chicken they carry.
Lately, though, Marukai has often had inventory issues. A lot of the chicken and pork products have been out of stock for as long as a week, forcing me to complete re-​do my meal planning. Quality of the steaks and what not also aren’t all that great, as they seem to have more sinew than those from other grocers. Recently they even brought in fresh mushrooms from China, though they seem to have backpedaled and are now back to the USA/​Japan/​Korea mix.
Prices tend to be pretty good, especially with sales, but both of those require you to be a member. Membership is nominal, at just $ 15/​year.
I really HATE the parking hear too. Much of the stalls are SO tight, that you have to be a contortionist to get in and out of your car… and because a lot of seniors shop hear… you know, many aren’t exactly the best parkers, but I don’t blame them either…
Marukai has always been and will continue to be a go-​to for me, but the declining quality and lack of inventory recently is a little disconcerting. Honestly if this trend continues, I may have to reconsider.

Best place in Oahu to get lower priced Japanese groceries. The sashimi and fresh fish area has been getting smaller in selection and on top of that they have it in different areas??? Their prepared food area is still spot on and I have to stop myself from buying everything!
Definitely worth the $ 15 annual membership. Get the andagi vendor back!!!

I’ve been a member at Marukai for over 10 years. The membership fee is worth it because they have a wide selection of not only Japanese foods and dry goods but also fresh produce and fish, hot and cold prepared foods, and even some Chinese and Filipino foods at reasonable prices. They also have a decent poke selection that you can choose to get with rice or not. This is a one-​stop shop for a meal or snack plus your grocery shopping.

Great selection! I always come here if I’m looking for Japanese food products or home goods. I’ve never gotten any fresh produce or prepared foods. There’s usually a lady selling roasted chestnuts outside of the entrance when I go.
It’s decently clean (not the best but not the worst). The bathrooms were not as bad as I thought they were going to be.
You have to have a membership card at this location so I always have to go with my mom. This location also has not-​so-​great parking, especially during peak hours. However, it does have a wider variety of goods than the Ward location. Service is pretty friendly.

Hard to believe I haven’t reviewed this place since I’m here at least 2x a month. If you are in the mood for the best selection of Japanese groceries, this is your place. It goes beyond Japanese Twix. I love their cherry blossom tea. If you like Kaki no tane, they have the good Kameda brand as well as the cheaper knock-​off. This is the only place I know where you can buy fresh rakkyo. This is an expat’s delight.
On the weekends they run specials with regional and seasonal Japanese products to keep it interesting.

My go-​to store for Japan products and omiyage (gifts to take back home for family/​friends after traveling) when I visit Oahu. This is one of my favorite places to visit when I come to Oahu because we don’t have anything like this on Maui.
Before I even walk into the doors, I am buying my mom a bag of fresh roasted chestnuts to the right of the entrance of the store. She just loves these! Especially since it’s one of the many things that you can’t find on Maui.
Marukai warehouse has a wide variety of Japanese products, grocery, food, snacks, you name it! To me it is worth the $ 15 annual membership because of the huge variety of products and food. In actuality, the membership comes with an extra card so you could split the annual fee with someone and it would be only $ 7.50/member. However, I was informed that only the primary member will receive the monthly Marukai newsletter that sometimes includes additional coupons or mystery scratch off discount coupns.
The difference between the warehouse and the Ward location is that you need a membership at the warehouse location. Also, the selection at the Ward location is smaller. However, the Ward location is more convenient if you’re in town.

This is a great place if you want hard to find Asian groceries. This is like a Japanese version of Costco, there is a large variety of goods here.
However, it’s not cheap, but not overpriced either. Considering most of the stuff is shipped from overseas, its cheaper than buying online.
Almost anything you need for the house is here. Food, bedding, kitchen items including pots, pans, utensils, rice cookers, plates… Limited clothing items, tons of snacks and drinks. Personal hygiene including the latest Japanese facial cleansing items. Office supplies, massage chairs, groceries, etc.
My kids like the snacks and drinks from Japan. There is also a hot food kitchen here and you can eat inside. There is a variety of Bentos, sushi, noodles and non Japanese food like Manapua and look fun. All delicious if you get it fresh.
The only downfall is the tiny parking stalls. I drive an SUV and with all the crooked parking the old people do here, it’s hard to find a spot that looks safe. Did I mention there are a ton of old people here? Gotta watch out for them in the parking lot and they do tend to back up the aisles because they walk slow.
Grocery bags are an extra ten cents each, so bring your own reusable bag.

I love Marukai, been coming here since I was a little kid!
Some things I love about the store, I’m always getting the Sukiyaki Nabe set! 8.99 veggies, long rice and meat that’ll feed my whole family if I buy 2 nabe sets and some extra meat! Perfect healthy meal! Let’s not get started on the bentos! This location has FRESH and so much more options then the other location. The aroma of the food fills the store making it smell super delicious!
I also really like the cosmetics area, I come here for my lashes, the lash glue is less then $ 5 and in my opinion works better then the Duo brand. Shampoo is a little pricy but you pay for what you get and those shampoos are awesome! Face masks under $ 5 for 1 deals and work really good. Black pearl whitening face mask is my favorite!
The selection of blankets and pillows are also good here, sometimes there are sales. Also the Bowls and Tupperware good selection just like the other location.

I love this store, and it being so close to home is icing on the cake. I move to HI in 2009 after 16yrs in Japan, and shopping at Marukai reminds me so much of home…
All the major essentials, like good Japanese rice, spices, and condiments that aren’t normally stocked in a big traditional grocery store.
Bonus — rice cookers and other kitchen tools!

I come here wayyy too often now to leave it at 3 stars. Last review was based on my initial visit, which was purely for shabu shabu meat. This review is more on the overview of Marukai. In short, Marukai is wonderful for Japanese goodies. I love coming here and buying Japanese snacks to send back to my family in NY, where it’s much harder to find. I’m also a sucker for the Japanese style bowls that they have… especially when they’re on sale, they are such a steal. Great price (~$ 5) for lovely, but more importantly, STURDY bowls! They also have pre-​made bentos, musubi, etc, that are pretty yummy. I’m not sure what time they start going on sale, but usually when I come here after work (about 4:30ish), they’re already 15% off. I go into fatty mode and buy like 6 to last me and my husband the week :).
Tip: Membership is $ 15 a month for first year and they charged me $ 10 to renew the second year. This is super worth it.

I don’t get here often, but I LOVE their selection of Japanese goods… especially all of the «cool stuff» that you usually can’t find outside of Japan. Natchan orange, six varieties of Pocky, five flavors of Kit Kat… natsukashii! ;D And if you’re very particular about the kind of rice you use («good rice» is surprisingly different from our everyday Calrose/​Hinode!), or you ever wanted to peruse an entire aisle of nori, kombu & assorted seaweeds, this is definitely the place for you!
Admittedly, prices aren’t always the best here – some things are actually sold at Don Quijote for less – but no one can beat their selection. =) They also have great meats, seafood & produce, which is packaged beautifully, kinda like you’d see at Japanese markets. Every time I come here, I’m so tempted to buy an entire tray of uni or a big block of lovely fatty uncut salmon sashimi. 0=) Sooo tempted!
Their prepared foods (bentos, sushi, fried fish, etc) are also pretty good, though pricey, maybe a tiny bit more than Shirokiya. =] If you get here later in the afternoon, the prepared foods are all marked down 10−20%, which is nice. OH! And apparently you don’t have to be a member to shop here anymore! All of the dry goods had «non-​member prices» listed, in addition to member prices. ;)

I been a member of this place for just about a year and I love this place. I wish I could read Japanese because there are things in here that look really good but I have no idea what the hell it is. Lots of choices of different bentos, mochi to choose from in the center of the store and the poke in the far back corner. Thats pretty much all you need to know if your just coming here to get something to grind.
Today Sophie P. and I came here and met up with Li Y. and Pam H. to check out the sake tasting. They had 40 different types of sake to sample. You could even buy a food pass (highly recommended) for $ 15.00 for access to all kinds of grinds as much as you like while you sample the sake which is a good idea because there was a lot to try out and you need something to soak up the alcohol.
Tasting stations were set up at different areas of the store. The first table had at least 10 or more samples. By the time the wife and I reached the end I was riding a good buzz already. Straight back to the food line to grind more food. That repeated itself at least four more times. Tasting stations were scattered around the store at least five or six. Cant remember. As always all the sake was excellent with the exception of the heated ones. It’s old school style and a different animal. Just swallow it and smile and say mmmm yummy and move on.
It was the first tasting here and definitely not the last. Come early for good parking and shorter lines. By about 7:30 the crowd bigger and lines stayed longer. On the plus side the food never ran out. Sign up to be a member and get a flyer in the mail. You’ll more than likely find out when the next one is.