Sakura

This store is a hidden jewel in the Inner Sunset; I am deeply glad it has survived the rather significant gentrification over the past decade. Michi and her husband are extremely friendly, and this place is like a little taste of Japanese hospitality here on the West Coast of the US. Prices are excellent; I found a wonderful bowl here for $ 1.59! They have an interesting variety of goods, snacks and foods, and I always feel happy after a visit. Again, this place is a little treasure, and I hope it lasts forever.

Is this couple the nicest people you’ve ever met or what? It’s like coming to a cousin’s store or a good friend’s store. They always always say hello and they always always thank you. They have great stuff. It’s like living in a little island and they are the local store that gets you what you want because you asked for it. And at a very fair price. They have that yummy kewpie dressing and that addicting seaweed japanese cracker popcorn and hot oil with crunchy garlic and mochi ice-​cream and kona coffee cookies. I also got my futon here.

Was in SF for the Hot Chicolate race and parked across from this Boutique Japanese market. My wife and I decide to take a look inside. It was small as many shops on Irving were but full of great items! The owner greeted us upon entering and offered a warm welcome. He sells everything from food items, candy, snacks, pens, packaged ramen, erasers, knitted bags, kitchen utensils, bowls, etc. A really cool shop!
The one item I was hoping to find was sold out. La-​Yu sesame seed chili oil with chili flakes. It’s the best «hot sauce». It used to be sold at Whole Foods but has since been replaced by another brand. For $ 1.93/bottle that is a bargain! Normally, this is sold for $ 3 – 5! He said that morning, someone came in and bought nine bottles.
Btw, huge selection of Pocky biscuit sticks!

This cute little Japanese boutique shop is a neighborhood gem. The signage advertises it as a Japanese discount store. After seeing this, Daiso and Ichiban Kan came to mind. After browsing, it is safe to say this store is so much better.
The store is operated by a sweet Japanese lady who is quite useful and friendly. She is knowledgeable about all the goods sold and you can tell she is proud of what the store offers. This alone makes for a more shopping experience than the typical Japanese discount store.
The quality of goods also exceeds your typical Japanese dollar store. I purchased some Charcoal bar soups and they made my skin feeling extra soft and smooth. Also bought were these small, cute handmade booties from Nepal, I believe. This is definitely a cat lover’s place as I was able to purchase a quality reusable cat shopping bag. None of the above come at a ‘discount’ price. But that wasn’t what I was looking for anyways. This is the store that offers you unique, quality cute Japanese goods you probably won’t find in a typical chain store.
Also offered in the back of the store are refrigerated and frozen foods.
I’ll definitely be coming back to this sweet little store.

Randomly wandered in here one night when I was meeting a friend across the street for dinner and showed up too early. I ducked in just to kill some time, but was surprised to find a seriously adorable store with cute Japanese goodies. I love the variety of merchandise here, from snacks and drinks, to plushes and apparel. The lady at the counter was exceedingly sweet and nice. She even told me that they would be getting new cat plushes in stock the following week. I wish I came to this neighborhood more, but I’m excited to stop by to see what they have the next time I have dinner plans in the area.

This place is too cute. I always drop in anytime I walk down Irving during my lunch break. They have a bunch of Japanese snacks, accessories, and cosmetics that are reasonably priced. The lady that works here is probably the nicest person I have ever encountered. She always greets everyone so cheerfully and seems to never have a bad day haha. I’ve bought a few cool things here such as a hot/​cold lunch bag with a super cute print, a matcha green tea ice cream waffle sandwich, and hello kitty soy sauce. I come here frequently and they always have something new in stock, def not the same ol same ol.

Sakura, the Japanese store with cutey things. I found this by pure chance because I had decided to park here because there were a parking spot here next to San Tung.
They have Japanese snacks, like green tea crackers, squid snacks, and pocky.
But I love the Totoro and Pusheen things that they had, made from Japan! It’s so adorable.
Friendly cashier/​owner too (:

Charming, authentic little Japanese snack and dollar store that offers a unique selection — pretty impressive value for such a small shop. Now if we can just find decent a decent bento box to-​go shop around the park that would be perfect…

The one time I’m actually thankful for long wait times and cold evenings around Irving is because it allowed me the serendipitous discovery of Sakura. Jiwon M. and I wandered in looking for shelter from the cold and found our hearts melting as well by the small treasure trove of Asian goodies. There’s a random assortment of goods featuring well-​known Japanese characters in the middle table and off to one side, flanked by shelves of snacks and a small selection of stationary items. A stand in the front features hand-​made cards by a local artist. It seems like the place where you never really know what you’ll find until you look inside. Also the sort of place you would never think twice about when walking by until you’ve discovered the cozy little corner of the world within. Let’s keep this our little secret?
I purchased two small notebooks for $ 1.49 each from a lovely elderly man. Inner Asian girl satisfied.

Small artist spot mixed with diaso stuff, owner with 2 other people joined to make hand crafted afforded gifts

This place is a gem! They sell a lot of snacks you can’t get at the general Asian markets or American convenient stores.
The lady working there is always nice and friendly to us.

Sakura is a cute store with Hello Kitty items, other gift-​y things, Japanese food, snacks and drinks. Newer items are not too discounted, but I managed to find a couple mugs for my home that I loved, and a mug for a gift — I couldn’t resist. Service is friendly and helpful. I will stop by again if I am looking for a gift or something fun for myself.

I love this store and the owners. They are super friendly and helpful and genuinely care about the products they sell. One time I purchased some teabags here and mentioned that they aren’t the ones I usually like to buy. They requested that I let them know how I like them to see if they should order more. I like how they also sell gift items made by local artists. I’ve purchased a lot of random necessities here: salad dressing, sticky rice, curry, tea, travel shoe case, laundry bags… there are a lot of interesting and useful things packed into this small space.

I loved visiting this little store when I lived in the area! They have a huge variety of items from Japanese food stuffs, drinks, and snacks, to toiletries, office supplies, household items, and cute little accessories. Their prices are a little above average when compared to a larger Asian market or a Daiso, but I’d gladly pay a little more for the convenience if they have what I’m looking for.
The owner is also one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met. And super informative. If you’re looking for something they don’t carry, she’ll take down the item in her notes so she can keep track of the demand for it and hopefully order some with her next shipment.

The store owners are super nice!!!
Im in love with their pocky selection! It’s nicely displayed! :] Everything they sell here is fast and covienent!

This is a small quaint store. It holds a lot of japanese brand material. What caught my eye was the name of the store otherwise I probably wouldn’t have walked in.
The person working the register was friendly and they have fresh food packaged to go as well.
They also have the instant ramen all college students love if they are on a low budget.

This place is so cute.
It’s near the corner of 10^th ave, almost near San Tung. They sell lots of neat things, like tupperwear, stationary sets, leisure activities and even snacks!
I’m always here for their lunchbags! These are the bags that are near the entrance. They’re insulted bags that zip at the top and they come in different sizes and designs. The hubs got me a small one here for $ 2-​$ 3. My sis and I got matching medium-​sized ones for $ 4.65 each.
The workers are so friendly! They greet you when you come in and ask if you need assistance. They also thank you after you pay for your items. How sweet!
Usually places like these only accept cash, but this place accepts card too!

Great little Japanese store with random items that you never knew you needed and for first cheap; i.e. note card organizer. They have a wide variety of items: shampoos to fake eyelashes, Japanese snacks/​candies to kitchen strainers, and pens to mochi –the possibilities are endless, especially when they get shipments of different items all the time.
The place is very well kept and very organized. They will charge you if you need a plastic bag though so either bring your own or do what I do and buy one of their über cute reusable bags they have on sale.
Last, but definitely not least, the woman at the counter is super sweet, like all the time.

Sakura is a japanese convenience store, part daiso and part nijiya. small cute space, everything neatly stacked. aisles small but not cramped.
inventory is mostly groceries, candies, referigated/​frozen stuff. some household items (never look at these). didn’t see sake, didn’t took. not into sake anymores.
buys:
–sapporo miso ramen, (.70?)
–peach hi-​chew (.78)
–nissin tonkotsu artificial pork flavor ramen (.62?)
footnotes:
–everything reasonably priced
–friendly greetings from cashier, associates
–luv the miso/​ton… ramen., hi chews
4.5 stars

Sakura is a hidden gem in the Inner Sunset. Tucked away in the residential area, this tiny, family-​run store is filled with miscellaneous items, food, and snacks — cute stationary, small kitchen appliances, candy, chips, bottled drinks, instant ramen, seasoning sauces, etc. The list goes on and on. You don’t come into this store looking for something in particular, but instead to browse around and see what items you don’t need, but want. For example: a garlic-​shaped container for storing fresh garlic.
One thing I expected to find here was green tea kit kats, but Sakura didn’t sell those the times I visited. Oh well. However, I found a small 1oz can of matcha powder here for less than $ 7. That only meant new baking adventures to come! :)