Update
COSMO moved to a different location after this post was published. The post about the current COSMO is here.
COSMO
*New Location
Jalan Bulungan No. 16
Tel: 081380006789 or 021-7207112
Jalan Bulungan is a cross road with Mahakam. If you know where Hotel Mahakam and KOI Mahakam are located, coming from these locations, you turn left onto Jalan Bulungan. The COSMO store will be on your left. You will see a big sign with sky blue and green.
I found a Japanese supermarket near us the other day. That made my day! It’s called COSMO. I asked the store employees if I could take pictures and they were very welcoming.
When I first move overseas, I always look for a grocery store where I can find Japanese groceries. When we lived in Virginia, I used to go to a Korean supermarket to find Japanese groceries, but here there are Japanese grocery stores. I got very excited! Cosmo is one of the three Japanese grocery stores I’ve been to and I like this one the best. I do partly because it’s conveniently located to my place, which makes a huge difference as the traffic in this city can be a huge pain!
Another thing I love about the store was that they have organic vegetable section. They have their own field and make organic vegetables there. They also make Japanese rice domestically and sell it there. The packages with green letters with COSMO mark is their brand of rice. I usually try to buy organic vegetables and locally grown produces rather than imported ones. It is more environmental.
I have been to other grocery stores where many foreigners go to in Jakarta. I find the prices at Cosmo cheaper or as cheap as some cheap stores. Yet, the vegetables looked fresh and nice here, which I was very pleased. I like the way Japanese grocery stores do packaging. In most grocery stores in Jakarta, you have to take vegetables and fruits to a weighing counter. There is someone who puts your vegetables or fruits in a plastic bag, weighs it and puts a price tag for you. At Cosmo, many vegetables are pre-priced and you can grab and put what you see in your cart without queuing at a weighing station.
I was surprised by the selection of fish and meat there. It was very easy to find what I wanted (since they labeled in Japanese, too) and the fish and meat looked very fresh. COSMO also makes their own tofu, natto (fermented beans), pickles, and prepared Japanese food (and probably more!). I love getting fresh tofu. Japanese products like tofu and natto are usually expensive if imported, but those made by the store are always much cheaper. I like their already-made gyoza (pot-stickers) and croquettes. You can buy them for lunch or dinner and serve it at home! You find a section like that in grocery stores in Japan and it makes me nostalgic to see it outside of Japan.
Their bakery is also wonderful. It’s fun to pick up pastries for my family there and I just enjoy seeing familiar pastries at a grocery store in Jakarta.
The people who work there are very nice. Things like that make your shopping experience very pleasant. At COSMO there are a few Japanese employees as well as a few Indonesian employees who speak Japanese well. I believe some of them speak English, too, so if you have any questions, I’m sure they will be happy to answer your them.
Location
Darmawangsa Raya
It’s in the shopping center near the Darmawangsa City Walk (Mall) near the police building.
すごい！！ジャカルタは日本人多いのかしら？これだけ充実したスーパーあるということは結構多いんだろうね。食生活がこれだけ充実していると生活もかなり快適だね！！寿司があるのが嬉しいね～。ブログ欠かさずチェックしているよ！今度はかほりのおうちのルーム・コーディネートの紹介希望。いろいろ研究もしてるみたいだし、こだわりをみてみたいです。長女ちゃんはもう小学校通ってる？また、現地の教育事情とかも知りたいな。あぁ、遊びに行きたいです。
ブログチェックありがとう〜！！とっても嬉しいよ〜！日本人多いよ！嬉しい限り。心強いです。寿司があるのはかなり嬉しい！でもまだ挑戦できていないの。うちも写真あるんだけど、まだ船便が届いていなくて、がらーんとしているの。壁だけはペンキを塗ったんだけど、飾りも何にもなし！の状態。寂しいです。そんな状態だけど、そのうち殺風景な今の自宅の写真も載せるかも。まだいつ船便が届くか分からないんだけど、自分の持っているものにまた会えて（壊れていない事を祈る！）飾る事ができるのが楽しみ！長女は日本でいう年長さんになって、キンダー始まったよ！欧米での義務教育が始まって、ちょっと感動。日本の小学校1年生に上がるような感覚。ちょっと親として感動しちゃった。
Kaho San,
Thank you so very much… 🙂
遅ればせながら拝見させて頂きました。お褒めの言葉ありがとうございます。コスモ担当者として
うれしい限りです。まだまだ日本のレベルには遠く及びませんががんばっていきます。
お立ち寄りの際はお店のことだけでなく、インドネシアで分からない事などございましたら
お気軽にお声がけ下さい。
ありがとうございました。
trying to follow you on twitter but cant find your name
Hi,
I am the mother of a 3-year-old boys. Since I had to prepare lunch for school, and as result from browsing how to prepare good and healthy lunch I knew Bento or Obento. (It’s an awesome Japanesse tradition) I try to make Charaben for my son.
My problem is bento stuffs is very rare in Jakarta.
Do you know where can I get supplies for bento such as mold, picks or furikake, nori and nori puncher? (I knew about the stuffs by looking photos from moms who does bentoing)
Is Bento stuufs available at Cosmo? Or you have a recommendation elsewhere?
Online store (other than ebay) or conventional store in Jakarta?
Thank you
Hi! Your kids are so lucky to have you as a mom! I want a mom like you who will make a bento lunch for me!! You can find furikake at many stores. All the Japanese stores, COSMO, Kamome in Melawai, and Papaya have furikake. I usually buy furikake at COSMO as that’s where I do my weekly grocery shopping. I even found furikake at D-Best in Fatmawati. I want to say that you might not find nori-puncher in Jakarta. You might have to go to Japan for that. There might be mold at one of the Japanese stores I listed above. I haven’t looked for them as I am not a cool mom like you. I have seen picks. I saw some cocktail picks at Grand Lucky, but they are not for bento specifically. I feel like I have seen picks either at COSMO or Kamome. COSMO is actually moving to a new location in Mahakam at the beginning of January, 2011. They will be open until the end of this year at the current location. I think they reopen their store at a new location on January 4th. I will post the information here later. I know the owner of COSMO, so I will send him an email and maybe he can leave you an answer in the comment section here as well. Thanks!!
Hi Hello Vivie Nice to meet You & Thank You to Kaho san for helping me answering the question. Actually Kaho San’s answer has covered almost everything.
Yes we do have Furikake & Nori at COSMO but unfortunately we don’t have mold, nori puncher and cute/coctail picks at the moment. We used to have them at our store, but it’s is now little bit difficult to import those kind of products.
Last but not least, yes we are going to move to a new location, but a little correction, new Cosmo will be located at Jalan Bulungan No. 16. But Kaho san not completely wrong because Jalan Bulungan is actually located besides jalan Mahakam.
Thank you!
Thanks for leaving us the answer in the comment section!! I really appreciate your time! Sorry about the incorrect information about the location! I thought that Mahakam was the area, but it’s the name of the street!! Jalan Bulungan. I will remember that! Good luck with the move!
Kaho san, thanks for answering my question. I’m not that cool as a mom as you thought, haha! 😀 but thank you, and actually I hope I am.
I was googling ‘Japan store in Jakarta’ when I found this article about Cosmo on your blog. It’s nice to know you, and thank you for your info. –Oh, and your Daughters are very cute, they’re so adorable.
Pak Yono, You’re the owner of Cosmo, am I right or am I right? 😀
Thank you for your info, I will stop by to Cosmo soon after opening at Bulungan.
Happy Prosperous New Year 2011
Dear Vivie & Kaho San,
Just want to inform you that now we have rice mold (shape: elephant, rabbit, bear, flower, etc). But the stocks are limited. If you want me to keep them for you please call our store at 081380006789 or 021-7207112.
Actually, I have some photos of the product, but I do not know how to share the photo.
Thank you so much for the information!! I will send Vivie an email to let her know! I haven’t been able to come visit you at the new location yet. I’m sorry! I hope to make it to the store soon!
Thank you so much! I went to your new location yesterday and I thought it was beautiful!! I did see some of the rice mold and even took photos. I plan on posting about your new place sometime soon…
Thank you for visiting our store… my wife told me about it yesterday. Glad you like the new store.
We are still doing some renovation work on the 2nd floor, hopefully it will be finished by the end of February 2011.
do you open on sundays? and when does the store close?