Okinawa Japan Opens First Costco And The Lines Are Huge

Costco is more than an American icon — it's a worldwide phenomenon. The wholesale corporation has locations in 14 countries including the U.S., and the newest store from this ever-expanding company lands in Okinawa, Japan. The country already has over 30 Costco stores, but this newest addition is a first for the Okinawa Islands. The store is located in Nanjo City and offers a food court, gas station, pharmacy, and more.

Before the Okinawa Costco opened, people were already heading to the store to sign up for memberships and get a sneak peek of the warehouse, as seen in a TikTok from user @shibasweets. It's no surprise that on opening day, August 24, there were reports on Reddit of the Costco opening three and a half hours earlier than scheduled, and some customers had a five-hour wait to enter the store. One Instagram post from user @thuglife.westedge shows the store's ceremonial ribbon cutting, as well as a long queue outside the store that even makes Disneyland lines look reasonable.

The Costco experience, to those outside of the U.S., could easily be considered the epitome of American culture. Costco is a vast warehouse with large shopping carts and the biggest boxes of snacks and food in the grocery market. The low-priced food court, filled with American classics like pizza and hot dogs, is the cherry on top. Although a five-hour line is extreme, there's a lot to be excited about for those in Okinawa who've never been to a Costco before. Of course, each new country and city that gets a Costco store has plenty of regional goods that land in the aisles, but many American items show up in international stores, too — and people can't wait to try them, if the line in @thuglife.westedge's Instagram post is any indication.

Costco Japan's unique products make American fans jealous of the household Japanese ingredients and packaged food items available, like a 50-piece sushi tray. The special items in Costco Japan's food court are another good reason for shoppers to be jealous. One such item, the Bulgogi Bake, is similar to America's Chicken Bake, except it's filled with savory marinated beef instead of chicken. Other items on the new Okinawa food court menu include pizza, hot dogs, chicken and potato sticks, a roast pork sandwich, Portuguese bean soup, and a honey shikuwasa smoothie. Shikuwasa is a lime-like citrus fruit grown in Okinawa. This food court variety sounds like a great blend of American Costco classics and unique regional finds.