Kyoto Supermarket Tour: Kyoto Station's New Attraction? Now it's time to go to the hottest shopping paradise!

In addition to visiting tourist attractions, shopping and dining are the great pleasures of travel.
While it is fun to eat out and pick up souvenirs at tourist stores, the author always visits supermarkets on her travels.

Not only local supermarkets that can only be found in that region, but even nationwide, they sell sweets, processed products, and alcohol unique to that region, so you can taste and buy the local delicacies that the locals love.

We would like to introduce to you the supermarket "Ropia" located near Kyoto Station.
Within a few minutes' walk from Kyoto Station, the terminal station, the location is easy to use for visitors traveling to Kyoto.

What is Ropia?

Lopia is a supermarket chain headquartered in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, with 66 stores mainly in the Kanto and Kansai regions. (As of June 2022)
So they took the first letter and the last letter and it is "Ropia".

This Lopia has only one store in Kyoto Prefecture.
That is the Ropia Kyoto Yodobashi store, which opened in November 2021.

Whenever I go to Kyoto Station, I always stop by there myself, and it is often talked about among my friends and colleagues around me, "Do you know the supermarket under Yodobashi? I hear that supermarket is a lot of fun.
In the first place, it's a supermarket, but it's "fun" (laughs).

Now let's take a look at some of the reasons why you might want to visit Lopia!

Reasons to love Lopia (1): Variety of fruits and reasonable prices.

The first reason is that there is quite a wide variety of fruits, and depending on the season, they are very reasonable.
The strawberries in the photo were also bought here. I had an image of white strawberries being very expensive, but at Ropia, even white strawberries are reasonably priced! This white strawberry "Tansetsu" had a moderate sweetness and mild acidity and was very tasty.

In addition, Tochiotome, Skyberry, Benihoppe, Yubeni, Koi Minori, Ichigosan, etc. are also available. So many?" I was surprised to see so many kinds of strawberries.
Although not as large as strawberries, the store is a paradise for fruit lovers, selling 15 bunches of bananas, Taiwanese pineapples before they became as popular as they are now, dried sweet potatoes and sweet chestnuts at reasonable prices, and so on.

Reason #2 why we love Lopia: The variety of fish and meat products is unbelievable!

The next reason is that the selection of fish and meat is so wide that it looks almost professional.
The photo shows a product called "Nama Honmaguro Boomerang," which is really shaped like a boomerang, and I did a double-take when I first saw it (laughs).
The price is as good as its visual impact. The price of 590 yen per gram for large, medium, and lean tuna is unbeatable!
I am too happy to be able to eat as much tuna as I want as sashimi, rice in a bowl, or hand-rolled sushi for 3,000 yen.

Our recommendation at the meat counter is steak meat. The best choice is the thick Chateaubriand, but you can also choose from a variety of cuts, such as rump and fillet, according to your preference. Also, you can save money by buying chicken thighs called "Sakura-dori" in bulk for fried chicken or tandoori chicken.

Reason #3 why we love Ropia: It is full of slightly unusual processed foods!

Lopia also has an astonishing selection of processed foods. In particular, the Korean foodstuff sales area, which has been attracting attention in recent years, is very large and is filled with all kinds of Korean products. The furikake (sprinkled seasoning) section is a spectacular sight with its walls lined with a variety of sprinkled seasonings.
The author's favorites are the potstickers and dressings from the upscale yakiniku chain "Joryoen. Until then, I used to buy them at restaurants or by mail order, but Ropia's easy access to authentic products has been a big help.

Reason #4 why we love Lopia: A wide variety of prepared foods.

There is also a wide variety of prepared foods.
Nigiri-zushi is available in a set or in a section where you can choose as many of your favorite items as you like.
I also often see people buying large pizzas.
In addition, the "Monster Burger" is considered a Lopia specialty. Three patties (hamburger), two pieces of bacon, an egg, and a piece of chicken are sandwiched in a large bun. Since it is quite BIG, it is good to eat it while changing the taste with ketchup or mayonnaise on the way.

Reason to love Lopia (5): You can buy Kyoto wines and beers.

The last reason is that you can buy local Kyoto wines and beers. Various wines from Tamba Wine, a winery that is the pride of Kyoto, are placed here. Tegumi", a sparkling wine made from Delaware, is a must-try with its rich fruitiness and elegant sweetness.

There is also a wide selection of Kyoto craft beers.

In particular, the lineup of Kyoto Tango Craft Beer and Kyoto Brewing products was so extensive that it was hard to decide which to choose.

If you travel, you will want to drink local alcoholic beverages.
I'd love to go back to the hotel and have some Kyoto beer with some snacks and nibbles!"
It can be said that this is a sales floor that fulfills such wishes.

summary

Did you understand the charm of Kyoto's only Ropia?
It is an attractive supermarket that satisfies the needs of both locals and travelers.
Payment is cash only, so please head there with plenty of cash in your wallet.

Store name: Ropia Kyoto Yodobashi Store
Address: 590-2 Higashishiokoji-cho, Shichijo-sagaru, Karasuma-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone: 075-353-0298

HP:http://lopia.jp/shop/kyotoyodobashi