About this location
A few stories people tell about this place
1. One morning, a regular was scanning his groceries when he noticed something odd in the produce section—bananas with faces drawn on them. Curious, he asked an employee who shrugged and said it must be a new Japanese tradition. Later that day, while loading groceries into his car, another shopper commented, ‘Hey, your bananas are smiling!’ Turns out, they were just regular bananas with some kid’s doodles. The regular laughed it off, realizing Nijiya Market had become his own little slice of whimsy.
2. One day, while loading groceries into his car, a neighbor noticed an unusual sign taped to the Nijiya Market door: ‘Free bananas for everyone today—just take one!’ Curious passersby lined up outside, each leaving with their single banana, until suddenly, all were gone. A delivery driver arrived later that afternoon and saw an empty carton on the counter. Smiling, he asked if they had any more bananas left. The manager shook his head and replied, 'Just our patience.'
3. In the produce section one afternoon, a little girl pointed excitedly at a watermelon and asked her mom, ‘Mommy, why does this melon look like it’s smiling?’ The mother smiled and replied gently, ‘Honey, that’s just how some watermelons grow.’ Suddenly, an elderly gentleman passing by chimed in with a twinkle in his eye, ‘Actually, child, those are probably the seeds showing through!’ Everyone burst into laughter, including the little girl who giggled and ran off to explore more fruits.
4. While stocking up on ingredients for a weekend feast, a shopper exclaimed, ‘This avocado looks like it’s smiling!’ Soon, others began noticing peculiar shapes and expressions in every fruit and vegetable. Soon enough, customers were pointing out faces in everything from bananas to carrots. A regular even started a game where you had to guess who each veggie was impersonating—‘Is that George Washington in that tomato?’ One day, a delivery driver arrived with such a straight face, everyone thought he was a carrot until he cracked a smile.