Where to buy Japanese and Asian food in the Netherlands (2026 guide)

Soy sauce and rice are easy. Miso, mirin and dashi are where a Japanese-style kitchen in the Netherlands starts to get hard. Searches then turn up a confusing mix of words: toko, Asian supermarket, Japanese grocer, online shop. Which one do you actually need?

This guide is organised by product, not by shop name: which items to look for where, how to find shops in your city, what online shops offer, and what the rules say about bringing food from outside the EU. It is written for anyone who cooks Japanese food in the Netherlands, whatever their background. Price comparisons between supermarket chains are in a separate article, Jumbo vs Albert Heijn.

Checked on 3 November 2026. Shop details, shipping terms and import rules below come from each organisation's own website on that date. Shops change opening hours and prices, so check before you travel or order.

1. The four routes compared

Regular supermarkets

Chains such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo often have an international aisle with soy sauce, sushi ingredients and instant noodles. What is on the shelf depends on the branch and the season, so search the chain's website for the product name before you go.

Asian grocers (toko)

Toko is the Indonesian word for shop. In the Netherlands it usually means an Asian grocery store, often Chinese, Indonesian, Thai or Korean. They stock a wide range of rice, noodles, sauces, dried goods and frozen food. Japanese products are only part of the range.

Japanese grocers

These focus on Japanese food and are found mostly around the larger cities. They are the best place for mirin, dashi and Japanese miso, and some keep limited opening hours.

Online shops

Online shops suit heavy items, bulk buying and people who live far from a specialist. Shipping terms, delivery areas and delivery times differ by shop.

The table shows why one route rarely covers everything. A mix works better.

The order is a guide only. Miso and mirin may be better looked for at a specialist or online from the start.

Spotting genuinely Japanese products

Asian grocers often shelve Japanese products next to Japanese-style products from other countries. Look for the country of origin on the pack (Product of Japan) and the importer's details. Names and prices alone do not tell you what is inside.

2. What to buy where

This is the core of the guide. For each product, the table gives where to look first and what to try next.

What the shops' websites showed

Wah Nam Hong listed sushi rice, miso and Japanese and Korean sauces in its webshop categories, with Itamae rice on the front page. YamaFoodShop listed seasonings, oils, vinegars, dressings, drinks, stocks and soups, and soy sauce, including a hon-mirin product. Amazing Oriental advertises Asian A-brands including instant noodles, sauces, sushi supplies and wasabi, without saying which are Japanese.

By product

Everyday staples are usually close to home. The more particular the Japanese brand or ingredient, the narrower the choice of shop.

Rice

Rice sold as sushi rice is generally short grain and works as an everyday rice, but origin and variety differ between shops, and two bags with the same name can differ. On the bag, check the origin, the variety, the best-before date and the weight. Start with a small bag.

The Dutch nutrition centre notes that rice can contain arsenic and links to separate advice on its rice page. Families with young children may want to read that advice.

Soy sauce

Soy sauce is easy to find. Check the ingredient list if anyone in the household has an allergy. Prepacked food in the Netherlands must show the 14 listed allergens on the label, which includes soy and cereals containing gluten (NVWA).

Miso, mirin and dashi

Wah Nam Hong's webshop has a miso category, and YamaFoodShop listed mirin and dashi products. A hon-mirin is not the same as a mirin-style seasoning, so check the label or the product name.

Tofu and natto

These need chilling or freezing, so online shops are a poor fit. Look in the chilled and frozen aisles of a toko or a Japanese grocer.

3. Finding shops in your city

Only what was confirmed on a shop's own website is labelled as confirmed. Names from third-party lists are leads, and such lists can be out of date.

Confirmed on shop websites

The Amazing Oriental Amsterdam-Noord page showed hours for the weeks of 2 and 9 November: Monday to Wednesday and Friday 9:30-19:00, Thursday 9:30-21:00, Saturday 9:00-19:00, Sunday 11:00-18:00. Holiday hours change.

Shops to phone or check first

These shops could not be confirmed as open. Phone or check a map listing before you go.

IamExpat describes Amazing Oriental as a chain of about 25 stores. DutchReview (updated 5 June 2026) calls it the largest Asian supermarket chain, says it is the place for miso, fresh tofu and imported noodles, and says it is pricier than mainstream supermarkets with no delivery. That last point conflicts with the chain's own site, which advertises online ordering with delivery, so check the current position.

Expatica (updated 31 March 2026) says Japanese and other ethnic grocers are found in larger cities and that herbs and spices are generally cheaper there; its International Grocery Stores Directory lists shops. Xpat.nl describes a toko as an Indonesian shop and says almost all herbs and spices are sold there; it shows no update date.

Leads from third-party lists

A worldwide list of Japanese grocery stores (updated 6 March 2025) names, for the Netherlands, Amazing Oriental in several cities (including Almere, Eindhoven and Maastricht), Dun Yong in Amsterdam, Toko Nieuwe Wereld in Leiden, San Wah Foods in Arnhem and Toko Sang Lee in Den Bosch. These could not be confirmed with the shops themselves, so use them as names to search for, then check an official site or map listing.

JETRO also keeps a list of Japanese food supporter stores in the Netherlands (as of 30 June 2024). The file still would not open on a second attempt on 3 November 2026, so its contents are unchecked.

A 2019 article from DutchNews.nl describes Amazing Oriental as a mix of items from several Asian countries. It is old, so treat it as background.

Even without a Japanese grocer in your town, a toko plus an online order can cover most everyday needs.

4. Ordering online

Shipping is often tied to the basket total, so one larger order beats several small ones.

The thresholds differ by a wide margin. Households buying heavy items such as rice and large bottles of soy sauce reach them more easily.

Before you order

1. Check the free-shipping line in the basket.
2. Check whether the shop delivers to your country.
3. Check best-before dates.
4. Read the return terms for food.
5. Work out the price per 100 g or 100 ml.

Wah Nam Hong states that webshop prices and promotions differ from those in its shops, so do not assume a shop price applies online.

Comparing prices

"How much more than Japan?" is a common question. This guide gives no percentage because a like-for-like comparison with dated, sourced prices could not be confirmed. To test it yourself:

1. Pick the same brand and the same type.
2. Divide each price by weight or volume to get the price per 100 g or 100 ml.
3. Note the date and the shop.
4. Add shipping for online orders.

For reference only, on 3 November 2026 YamaFoodShop's front page showed Ninben Shirodashi Gold (500 ml) at €6.41 and a hon-mirin at €11.50 with no size shown, so the second cannot be compared.

5. Bringing food from outside the EU (for example Japan)

Travellers

EU guidance for travellers (Your Europe, checked 3 November 2026) says you may not bring meat or dairy products from outside the EU.

Undeclared meat or dairy can be confiscated and destroyed, and you may be fined or prosecuted.

Reading the rules carefully

Plants and plant products (including cut flowers) need a phytosanitary certificate confirming they are free of certain pests. The Your Europe page does not name rice, vegetables, fruit or dried seaweed, so whether they fall into this category is not clear from the page. Ask Douane before you travel.

The Your Europe page does not name items such as rice, dried noodles or miso, so it does not say how Japanese pantry goods fall into the "other products" category. If you plan to carry a lot, ask Dutch Customs (Douane) before you travel.

Dashi packs, bonito flakes, furikake and instant noodles can contain meat or fish extracts. The wording of the official pages does not draw a clear line for processed foods like these. If in doubt, leave them at home or ask Douane.

Douane's page on animal products explains that importing meat, eggs, fish and dairy from outside the EU is subject to strict requirements, and that irregularities are reported to the NVWA. The Dutch government's guidance adds that animal products generally need a health certificate from the country of origin.

Parcels from family

Food sent by post is a separate question from food in your suitcase. Our guide to customs, the €3 duty and what cannot be sent covers duties, PostNL fees, and the rules on meat and dairy.

6. Which route suits your situation

The table shows that the best mix depends on household size and distance, not on one right answer.

Newly arrived or settled

Chilled and frozen

Tofu, natto and frozen noodles are best bought in a shop. The front pages of the two webshops did not show a chilled or frozen category on 3 November 2026 (not every product was checked). For items sold chilled or frozen, use a cool bag and follow the storage instructions on the pack.

7. How this differs from Japan

In Japan, Japanese ingredients are the default on every shelf. In the Netherlands they are one part of the world-food range, and access depends on the type of shop. This is a difference in conditions, not a ranking.

Reading labels

Labels are mostly in Dutch or English. Allergen information is required on prepacked food (NVWA), and the NVWA page notes new rules on how allergen information is shown that apply from 1 January 2026.

8. Where people go wrong

9. What to do this week

1. Search your nearest supermarket's site for soy sauce, rice and noodles.
2. Check the opening hours and range of a nearby toko on its own site.
3. List what is missing and see whether an online order clears the free-shipping line.
4. If you travel to Japan, check which foods you cannot bring back.
5. Before asking family to post food, read the parcels guide.

10. What not to do

11. Checklist

• I looked at supermarkets, toko, Japanese grocers and online shops
• I checked opening hours on each shop's own site
• I checked the free-shipping line
• I checked the origin and date on the rice
• I checked allergens on the label
• I checked no meat or dairy is in the food I carry
• I read the parcels guide before asking for food by post

12. Summary

• Four routes: supermarket, toko, Japanese grocer, online shop
• Staples nearby; miso, mirin and dashi from specialists or online
• Confirmed on their own sites: Wah Nam Hong, YamaFoodShop, Amazing Oriental (Iseya, Shilla and Atariya are leads to check first)
• Free shipping from €35 (Wah Nam Hong) and €60 (YamaFoodShop)
• No percentage mark-up given: sourced like-for-like prices were not available
• No meat or dairy from outside the EU; fish and other foods have weight limits
• For parcels, read the separate customs guide

All details are as shown on the official websites on 3 November 2026. Shops, shipping terms and rules change, so check the official sites before you shop or travel.

Sources checked

• Wah Nam Hong: shops in The Hague and Rotterdam, webshop range and shipping terms
• YamaFoodShop: Japanese seasonings and the free-shipping threshold
• Yama: the company behind YamaFoodShop
• Iseya: Amstelveen shop; hours listed but no update date
• Japans-Koreaanse Delicatessen Shilla, Visit Amstelveen: Japanese and Korean shop in Westwijk (no hours listed)
• Atariya Foods: operator's page, mainly wholesale
• IamExpat: Where to buy food from home: Atariya, Tjin's Toko and Amazing Oriental (updated 28 August 2026)
• Expatica: Dutch supermarkets and grocery shopping: ethnic grocers (updated 31 March 2026); shop list in its International Grocery Stores Directory
• DutchReview: Supermarkets in the Netherlands: Amazing Oriental range (updated 5 June 2026)
• Xpat.nl: Food: what a toko is
• Amazing Oriental: Asian grocery chain, range and webshop
• Amazing Oriental Amsterdam-Noord: opening hours
• Your Europe: Taking animal products, food or plants with you: categories and limits for travellers
• Douane: Live animals and animal products: import requirements
• Douane: Health: food import standards
• Government of the Netherlands: Transport of animal products: health certificates
• NVWA: Allergenen: allergen labelling
• Voedingscentrum: Rijst: rice and arsenic
• JustOneCookbook: Japanese grocery stores around the world: store names as leads (third party)
• JETRO: Japanese food supporter stores in the Netherlands, June 2024: store list (did not open on the check date)
• DutchNews.nl: A taste of home (March 2019): background on Asian grocery chains (old)

Related: customs, the €3 duty and what cannot be sent and Jumbo vs Albert Heijn.

All checked on 3 November 2026. Shops, terms and rules change, so check the official sites before you act.