About a 20-minute drive west from Ashiya City, the discount supermarket “OK Shinzaike” opened on December 11 on the first floor of the Southern Mall Rokko PLUS+ shopping center along National Route 43, so we went to check it out!
↑ Southern Mall Rokko PLUS+ is a shopping center located about a two-minute walk from Hanshin Shinzaike Station. It reopened after renovations this November, and many of its stores have changed.
↑ OK Shinzaike on opening day. Customers kept pouring in, and the store was bustling!
Here’s the map↓
The address is Southern Mall Rokko PLUS+ 1F, 1-2-2 Shinzaike Minamimachi, Nada Ward, Kobe, Hyogo.
↑ This is what the sales floor looks like. It’s considerably larger than the Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi store, the nearest location east of Ashiya.
(The Shinzaike store is the nearest location west of Ashiya. It seems that there are currently no plans to open any more stores in Hyogo Prefecture for a while, so from Ashiya, your choices will be either Shinzaike or Nishinomiya.)
Quoted from OK’s Weekly Product Flyer: Shinzaike Store, Issue No. 1
↑ Here’s the grand-opening flyer. It doesn’t appear to have been delivered to homes in Ashiya City, so it may be a good idea to check the website beforehand.
We can’t list the prices of the products introduced below because OK anticipates its competitors’ sale prices and sets prices that won’t be beaten, which vary by store.
However, since OK’s original products aren’t sold by its competitors, we’ve included their prices to give you an idea of how affordable the store is. The listed prices are for non-members. In other words, they’re even cheaper if you become a member!
Incredibly Affordable Bento Boxes, Prepared Foods, and Bread
OK is famous for its incredibly affordable bento boxes! A rice bowl topped with Sangen pork loin cutlet costs just ¥322 (tax included)—that’s amazing!
↑ The yakitori rice bowl, normally ¥366 (tax included), is available at a special grand-opening trial price of ¥322 (tax included)!
↑ The limited-quantity “Grand Opening Celebration Sushi” costs ¥646 (tax included)! What a bargain!
↑ Hearty meals such as the “Menchi-katsu & Ginger Pork Bento” and “Large Fried Oyster & Ginger Pork Bento” are part of the generously portioned “GO! GO! Series,” priced at ¥594 (tax included)!
↑ Even onigiri rice balls, which have become more expensive at convenience stores and other supermarkets, are available at these prices! It makes you want to stock up!
↑ The Kansai-exclusive “Crunchy Vegetable Potato Salad” is available at a limited-time price through Sunday, December 14: ¥108 per 100g (tax included).
↑ These Kansai-exclusive ohagi are ¥267 for two (tax included). In addition to sweet azuki bean paste, they also have ohagi with zunda paste (edamame), which is pretty unusual!
↑ There’s also a great selection of bread baked in-store! Some items are sold at prices you rarely see in Ashiya…!
↑ A freshly baked French baguette this size is just ¥205 (tax included)!
↑ You can also get a topping-packed whole pizza measuring about 30cm in diameter for around ¥500.
Carefully Crafted Original Products, Including Ice Cream, Jam, and Ketchup
↑ OK’s carefully crafted original products are also worth checking out! This is “OK Original Ice Cream,” made with a focus on ingredients and quality, for ¥220 (tax included).
The six standard flavors are Vanilla, Bitter Chocolate, Pistachio, Matcha, Rum Raisin, and Bitter Caramel Cinnamon. That’s quite a distinctive lineup!
↑ The packaging is extremely simple, which apparently helps keep the price down.
↑ This is the “100% Satisfaction!” series, jointly developed with Saison Factory. A 320g jar of jam costs ¥538 (tax included). It’s apparently attracting attention for being packed with real fruit and offering great value for money!
↑ The same “100% Satisfaction!” series also includes dressings, sauces, and ketchup. The ketchup is said to have a fruity flavor and is generously made with organic ingredients.
Meat, Seafood, and Products for the New Year Holidays
↑ A5-grade Japanese Black wagyu beef was being sold at some very attractive prices!
↑ They also had large blocks of vacuum-packed beef! They look suitable for restaurant supplies, too.
↑ Some meat is sold in tray-free “Eco Packs.” You can freeze them just as they are, and they’re environmentally friendly too!
↑ This is an impressive sashimi platter, but something about it seems different from what you’d find at other stores…?
↑ That’s right—the shredded daikon garnish served with sashimi is sold separately! Small measures like this help OK maintain its “Everyday Low Prices.”
↑ For a slightly luxurious New Year’s meal at home, they had tiger pufferfish, snow crab, and monkfish.
↑ There were stacks of boxed herring roe.
↑ They also sold frozen horse-meat sashimi and more.
Great-Value Direct Imports
↑ OK also offers great-value products by importing them directly! This Italian-made panettone was available at a very reasonable price too!
