A Place to Shop With an Eastern Philosophy

Japanese foods, toys, ceramics and other goods abound at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa, many with labels in only Japanese, which makes checking the fine print difficult for those who don’t read the language.

But English-only shoppers shouldn’t feel left out. Clerks and signs are multilingual. And kids should have no problem communicating with each other in the universal language of Pokemon.

From yogurt to banks, ice cream to stationery, trading cards to wall clocks, the craze lives on at the Mitsuwa Marketplace. Though parents may not consider this good news, the Pokemon presence here seems less like overkill and more like a cultural link.

“Our clientele is largely Asian American, but we are open for everyone,” said Tak Kubota, assistant manager for Mitsuwa Corp., based in Torrance.

One-Stop Shopping

The marketplace (665 Paularino Ave., [714] 557-6699) fits a lot under one roof. It’s part grocery store, part shopping mall--complete with food court--and part swap meet. A jewelry store is next to a gift shop, which is next to a place selling car accessories, which backs up to the book and video stores.

And in the middle is an appliance store that offers everything from rice cookers to heated toilet seats with built-in bidets ($600 to $799).

On a recent weekday, Louise Garrels made the trip from Laguna Niguel to shop with her two sons, John, 4, and Danny, 2. She said shopping at the marketplace is one way to stay in touch with her Japanese heritage.

“I grew up in the San Fernando Valley,” she said, “and I always went to Little Tokyo to get many of the things I get here now.”

Among the items she’d already picked up were dried fish and other groceries as well as a daruma, or good luck doll, as a baby gift. Next she was headed to the bookstore.

“We got here at 11 [a.m.], and it’s 1:30 [p.m.] now, so you see that we can spend most of an afternoon here,” she said. The marketplace is open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There are some things you can count on finding at the marketplace, such as table after table of ceramic rice bowls and tea and sake sets, priced from $1.50 for a cup or plate to $1,250 for a jumbo teapot. Then there are the more fleeting items, like the futons and extra large commodes that have since moved on.

Dwaine Yamasaki, assistant manager at the Costa Mesa store, said Mitsuwa rents space to vendors, who sometimes aren’t afraid to try out new products. “If the items don’t sell,” he said, “they just don’t come back.”

Fresh Connection

Consistently popular are the Japanese foods sold in the grocery section of the marketplace. You can get boiled lotus root ($4 apiece), barbecued conger eel ($6 per eel) and wasabi ($3.29 for a little more than 3 ounces in a tube).

The meat and deli cases are where the grocery store is the most interesting and the most fun. The array of fresh oceanic offerings rivals that of a large fish market. Eel, shrimp, crab, squid, salmon and cod are among the choices.

There’s a nice selection of sashimi, including bonito, tuna kakugiri and tuna negitoro. “We accept any sashimi combinations,” a sign says.

Through a window next to the sign, shoppers can watch as workers with long, slender knives delicately work their magic on a tuna filet.

The choice of meats is just as wide. The steaks are beautifully marbled, but they’re not cheap. An Angus rib-eye of just less than three-quarters of a pound is $9.51. Ground chicken is $3.99 a pound.

The rest of the grocery store features some interesting cultural juxtapositions. Containers of quail eggs ($1.49 for 10) are stacked next to Oscar Mayer bacon ($4.79 a pound) and Hebrew National knockwurst (12 ounces for $4.69). Morinaga chocolate-pie cookies ($4.97) are across the aisle from Jiffy Pop ($1.29).

By the time you reach the back wall of the grocery store, however, the ambience is all Asian. A tiny specialty shop displays all manner of Japanese pickles, with at least 15 varieties offered for sampling. Next door is a similarly sized green-tea shop, at which tasting is also encouraged.

But the real draw is the refrigerated case stocked with clear plastic containers full of sushi. At lunchtime on weekdays, the boxes disappear almost as fast as they’re filled. Eel rolls (eight for $4.75) are among the favorites.

Order in the Food Court

The restaurant choices aren’t exactly multicontinental. Two of the three places are Japanese and the third serves Japanese and Chinese dishes. However, the quality of all three is such that it’s sometimes a struggle to get a table for lunch.

Garrels said it’s a great place to bring her kids. “They can get a rice dish, I can get noodles and we’re all happy.”

At Tampopo, a sign reads, “Our noodles all handmade. We make every day, every moment fresh,” and it shows. At Miyabi-Tei, the pan-fried noodles with rice is deliciously fragrant with ginger, while the sashimi with vegetable tempura is also a winner. The menu at Hebesen features many Japanese favorites as well as chicken chow mein with soup for $5.

Whichever eatery you pick, it’s hard to get lunch for two and pay more than $12 to $15.

After your meal, visit the St. Honore bakery. Be bold and try the potato salad doughnut ($1.25) or tsubu an, a smooth pastry filled with red beans ($1.10). Or take the sweetest route: the fruit danish topped with strawberry, kiwi and pineapple ($1.10).

Forget Pokemon. The bakery is where you’ll say, “Gotta get ‘em all.”

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IF YOU GO

* Getting There: Take the San Diego Freeway to Bristol Street and go south one block to Paularino Avenue. Turn left. The Mitsuwa Marketplace is less than a block down on the right.

* Parking: It’s free and spaces are plentiful.

* Necessities: This is a good spot to stock up on essentials, such as Speed Racer inflatable race-car pool floats ($9.80) and glow-in-the-dark mutant hands ($6.80).

Mitsuwa Marketplace

665 Paularino Ave.

Costa Mesa, (714) 557-6699

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily