At Nijiya Market, everything's Japanese, and that's the draw. If it's not from Japan, it's something Japanese love. Ever since the California-based chain opened at Puck's Alley last month, expats and Mainland transplants familiar with its 11 other stores have been buzzing: What's on the takeout menu? Does the organic rice make Nijiya's bentos expensive? What can you get that you won't find at Don Quijote, Marukai or Shirokiya?

Be prepared: Nijiya feels more Japanese than all of the above. Those of you who took Japanese in school can bust it out now. A lot of the product labels are in kanji and hiragana except for the nutrition info on the back, although price signs identify everything in English.

Among the offerings: Takoyaki. It's hard to go wrong with baked dough balls stuffed with two or three nice chunks of cooked tako and topped with mayo, katsu sauce and nori. With 12 takoyaki per box, you won't have to hog. Cost: $3.99. Verdict: Yum.

Go to www.honolulu.metromix.com for the full story.