Uwajimaya Village Plaza:
Japanese Centerpiece of Seattle's International District
Forum on Great Asian Malls & Supermarkets
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GREAT ASIAN MALLS & SUPERMARKETS
Uwajimaya Village Plaza
600 6th Avenue South
Seattle Washington
eattle's International District (formerly known as Chinatown) acquired a big new Asian attraction when the block-sized Uwajimaya Village Plaza opened in 2001. The supermarket anchoring 70,000 square feet of retail space is the flagship store of the three-store Uwajimaya chain which was already familiar to Seattle-area Asians. The impressive multi-purpose Uwajimaya Village Plaza includes 176 deluxe apartments above the retail space and 360 parking spaces — a far cry from 1928 when founder Fujimatsu Moriguchi peddled fishcakes to Japanese laborers from the back of a truck. Today Uwajimaya's product list has expanded to include foods not only from Japan, but also from China, Corea (Korea), the Philippines and India.
Visitors are tempted by a pan-Asian food court offering fresh sushi, tempura, curry, noodles, assorted Chinese specialties and treats like mochi and western pastries. Another draw is the Kinokuniya bookstore adjacent to the market which sells, in addition to Japanese books, cute stationery and items for anime fans. There are also sections selling cosmetics, housewares and other goods imported from Japan and other Asian nations.
