Keio Store Express — Supermarket in Shimotakaido, Tokyo

Keio Store Express is a branch of the Keio Store chain, sitting in Shimotakaido in Setagaya City. What you notice walking in is where the floor space goes: the prepared food section is the most extensive part of the shop, while the meat section stays small.

That prepared food is the reason to come. It is ready-made food laid out for taking away, the easy answer to a meal when you are passing through. Rice is the other thing to put in the basket, and Keio Point Days are when it earns its keep, since that is when the larger purchases pay back.

The shop runs on self-checkout registers, several of them, with staff stationed around them. Cash is the exception: it goes through the single manned register, and that queue builds. Aisles are narrow, and restocking blocks them, so you may have to wait for a gap to pass.

Prices sit at the higher end for a Keio Store, and the selection is thin on major brands, so you will not find everything on a standard list here. Alcohol prices are average. What the shop does well is the quick, close-at-hand purchase.

Payment is straightforward: Rakuten points and PayPay both work. There is no bicycle parking, which rules out a bulk shop by bike. Come for a meal to carry away or a few items, not for a full weekly stock-up.