Hashi Market, a Japanese supermarket chain founded in 2024 with six New York City locations, opened its first West Coast store in Cupertino on Friday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m.

The Mercury News reports that hundreds of locals armed with reusable shopping bags and cameras lined up from as early as 8 a.m. for the ribbon-cutting, which featured a Yosakoi dance performance and a bluefin tuna-cutting demonstration.

The 20,000-square-foot store at 20558 Stevens Creek Blvd. occupies a former Sprouts location in the Crossroads Center and operates daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Opening-weekend perks included free Mystery Gift Bags worth $50 in Japanese products for the first 200 customers and a reusable Hashi bag for shoppers spending $38 or more.

The detail most likely to pull in night owls, according to Yahoo, is that all sushi gets a 30% discount after 8 p.m., letting bargain hunters load up on nigiri and rolls without paying full price.

Yahoo also notes the shelves carry imported snacks, premium seafood, luxury crown melons, premium sake, bento boxes, onigiri, teriyaki skewers, katsu curry, baked salmon, and housemade sausage buns and cheese breads.

Operations director Justin Li told the San Francisco Chronicle, as quoted by Yahoo, that walking in feels 'more like a younger store, like an Erewhon,' referencing the Los Angeles luxury grocer. Shoppers can also browse Japanese cosmetics, home goods, and pop-culture merchandise.

Cupertino was a calculated choice. Both outlets report that Li pointed to the city's affluent, heavily Asian population and established appetite for Japanese food, with Li telling the Chronicle that 'Cupertino has a profile that we target.'

The Mercury News adds his argument that customers there are knowledgeable and increasingly interested in high-quality products with a clear sense of origin, and that Hashi's seafood is sourced directly from Japan while its beef comes directly from Hokkaido.

The opening joins what Yahoo calls a growing Bay Area grocery-store gold rush: Tokyo Central opened in Emeryville in January, H Mart arrived in Dublin in March, and Canadian Asian giant T&T drew crowds in San Jose this summer, according to Yahoo.

Li told the Chronicle, as reported by Yahoo, that Hashi expects to roll out 10 more stores by early 2027, with planned locations in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington state. The Mercury News separately reports that Hashi is exploring other Bay Area sites in Milpitas, San Mateo, and Union City.

Local reaction was mixed but engaged: The Mercury News describes Sunnyvale resident Yvonne Liu, who queued since 8 a.m. after seeing the market on TikTok, vowing she'll 'definitely be back,' while Los Gatos shopper May Chen wondered how Hashi would differ from nearby T&T and Ranch 99 but concluded that 'more competition means better prices.'

For now, the late-night sushi discount gives Cupertino a reason to keep coming back to find out.