Uwajimaya celebrates 98 years in the Pacific Northwest
1 Video View·Oct 21, 2026
A local family-owned favorite is celebrating
a major milestone this month.
For nearly a century, 98 years to be exact,
Awajimaya has been the go-to destination for Japanese groceries
and Pacific Rim specialties.
Fox 13's Shira Matsuzawa caught up with the founder's granddaughter,
who's also the grocery store's president and CEO,
to find out the secret to their near-century of success.
Well, I talked with so many people today
who didn't want to go on camera,
but they tell me when they first moved here from Japan,
It was Awajimaya that sold the Japanese products
that they couldn't find anywhere else.
Pictures from the past.
The year was 1928
when Denise Moriguchi's grandfather first opened Awajimaya.
My grandfather, his specialty item
when he first started was a fish cake
that he learned how to make in the town of Wajima and open store.
But then World War II happened
and Denise's grandparents were sent to an incarceration camp.
So they lost the business, they had to restart,
and they restarted in Seattle in the 1940s.
Fast forward to today, as the local family-owned grocery store
is celebrating 98 years in business.
If you walk through the store,
cases of fish and seafood are on display,
while sauces and snacks from Japan line the aisles.
Denise, who is also the president
and CEO of Awajimaya, says over the years,
They've grown from being a neighborhood store
to a destination store that creates connections.
People feel that connection to maybe their home country
if they've moved here and they really get, you know,
feel their grandparents or their family or their home.
But we also create new discoveries.
As some grocery stores close their doors,
Awajimaya is expanding to Issaquah and Tacoma.
So what's the secret to its success?
We're committed to this community.
We're committed to our customers.
So we're going to weather through thick and thin.
And Denise says they're grateful to the community that supported them.
And they look forward to the next 98 years.
I'm thankful for everything that came before me.
And I'm really excited for the future.
And the two new locations in Issaquah
and Tacoma are expected to open next year.
In Seattle, Shira Matsuzawa, Fox 13 News.
Awajimaya is celebrating all month long with special deals,
deals, including a food fair featuring imported treats
and snacks straight from Japan.