If you think shopping for groceries in Tokyo is expensive, you might want to check this place out. Futaba Food Center a very very cheap food market tucked away in Musashikoyama, just 2 stops away from JR Meguro station.  Here, you can find vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and deli (deep fried dishes such as tempura) that are sold much cheaper that your local supermarket.

In the vegetable market, you can also find produces that you normally do not find in a local supermarket such as artichoke, fennel, rhubarb, and probably less than half of the price at the posh supermarkets in central Tokyo.

It'a a bit tricky to find this place as you need to go through a short alley off of Heiwa-dori Shotengai （平和通り商店街）. This shopping street also has a couple of reasonable shops that you want to look at while you are there.

Futaba Food Center is open 6 days a week, closed on Sunday and National Holidays. They are open on Wednesdays when the central market is closed but will be selling leftover items from the day before.

​ Access: 10 minutes from Musashikoyam Station
Adress:  〒152-0002 Tōkyō-to, Meguro-ku, Megurohonchō, 5 Chome−32 (MAP)
  

You can find more photos in the Meguro Navi Website >>>

Last month, we went to Kawagoe, an old town outside of Tokyo. We went there by car, but it's only 30 minutes by train from Ikebukuro. Kawagoe prospered during the Edo-period still holds it's traditional charm and is called Ko-Edo (meaning little edo). As you stroll along the streets, you'll find  the old-fashioned merchants' shops that you can no longer find in Tokyo. We only went to one part of Kawagoe, but this city seems to have  many places to visit. So if you are wondering about places to go next weekend, Kawagoe may be an option.

It was a pure coincidence that my students that came to my class the next day were also in Kawagoe on the day we were there!

For details on on sightseeing areas, visit this useful site (Multi-Language) >>> Koedo-Kawagoe