Uwajimaya

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One foggy morning in Seattle’s International District, a delivery driver pulled up to Uwajimaya with an unusual load. As he unloaded crates of fresh produce, passersby noticed something strange: every fruit and vegetable seemed to be whispering softly to each other. Curious neighbors gathered around, trying to decipher the mysterious whispers. Suddenly, one banana poked its head out of a crate and shouted, 'Sale on bananas today!' The delivery driver laughed, shaking his head. ‘Just another day at Uwajimaya,’ he muttered, loading more talking fruits into his truck.

2. In the dimly lit aisles of Uwajimaya one day, a delivery driver noticed something peculiar on the shelf: a small package wrapped in plain brown paper, labeled only with the words ‘Free Fortune Cookie.’ Curious, he opened it and found inside a slip of paper that read: 'Today you will receive unexpected help from someone you least expect.' Later that evening, while preparing dinner, his neighbor accidentally dropped a bag of groceries right outside his door. The delivery driver smiled, picked up the bags, and thought: “I guess today’s fortune cookie wasn’t so free after all.”

3. In the early hours of a Sunday morning, a delivery driver parked outside Uwajimaya and wondered aloud: ‘Why is it so quiet here?’ Just then, an old lady in traditional Japanese dress emerged from behind the store, smiling warmly. 'Ah,' she said softly, 'you must be new around these parts.' The delivery driver nodded nervously. 'It's always like this on Sundays—everyone comes alive later!' With that, she waved goodbye and disappeared into the night. The driver shrugged, shook his head, and drove off, already forgetting his initial unease.

4. At midnight on a Friday, a delivery driver parked outside Uwajimaya and heard an eerie humming sound coming from inside the empty store. Curious, he peered through the window and saw shelves glowing softly with a pale blue light. Inside, a regular was pushing a shopping cart filled with boxes of miso soup and packets of dried shrimp, muttering something about ‘the best deals ever.’ The delivery driver laughed it off until his headlamp caught the sign reading ‘Happy Hour Starts Now!’