iRASSHAi: the new concept store for Japanese cuisine lovers in Paris!

How did we get here ?

Behind iRASSHAi, the two associates of Japan Experience, Thierry Maincent (right) and Xavier Marchand (left)! The same love of Japan that helps thousands of travelers go there every year through articles, thematic guides, activities, essential products and customized trips, created by a team of passionate people since 1981, drives this new Parisian hub. iRASSHAi is also just a few minutes' walk from the Japanese heart of Paris, rue Sainte-Anne (where the Japan Experience agency is located)!

Born of a desire to bring Japan to enthusiasts and travelers who couldn't visit (the country closed its borders between April 2020 and October 2022), iRASSHAi brings a serious cultural - and interactive - resource to the Japanese trend blowing through Paris.

For those who have already had the opportunity to travel to the Land of the Rising Sun, iRASSHAi is a delicious reminder, with products carefully sourced and crafted in true Japanese style. For neophytes, the different areas of the concept store are an ideal introduction to Japan... a gentle first step before complete immersion during a trip!

Paris' temple to Japanese cuisine

iRASSHAi opens the doors to Japan through a very special aspect of the country's culture: its gastronomy. With its 2 restaurants (SHOKUDO, the "cantine" space, and BIWAN, the bistronomic table), its take-away counter, its café, KISSATEN, which transforms into a bar, SAKABA, after 6pm, a studio dedicated to cooking classes and the grocery store, the centerpiece of the place, iRASSHAi offers a complete panorama of Japanese cuisine.

The grocery section focuses on discovery and accessibility, to help visitors understand and master Japanese products, which are often complicated for amateurs to handle. QR codes accompany each pack of bonito, soba, dashi broth, miso paste and the 1,000 other products on the store's colorful shelves, so that customers can easily obtain more information on the products, recipe ideas... Also available on the website irasshai.co !

For foodies, the grocery store is truly unique in the Parisian landscape. Indeed, three quarters of the products available at iRASSHAi are sold for the first time in France! Cooking at home like in Japan becomes possible, and with the explanations on the site, it's even almost effortless. The selection you'll find on iRASSHAi's shelves is the result of two years of research and tasting by a team of Japanese natives and connoisseurs, and is imported by iRASSHAi directly with a local supplier and on-site team, in order to offer only the very best products.

Facing the Bourse du Commerce, it's a 2-in-1 address that sets the pace for the days and evenings at iRASSHAi: KISSATEN from 8 am to 6 pm, SAKABA from 6 pm to midnight!

On the KISSATEN side ("tea room" in Japanese), hot - and cold - drinks and Japanese pastries are the star attraction. Kinako latte with roasted soy powder, matcha latte of course, but also a focus on Japan's rich coffee culture with beverages from the Ippudo brewery (including one of the capital's best cold brews)... Classics are on the menu, as are original creations, such as a matchaffogato, an Italian affogato revisited in a Japanese version, with a shot of matcha instead of espresso. On the KISSATEN side, you'll also find the savoury takeaway counter, with onigiris, sando and other snackable treats. 

After 6pm, KISSATEN becomes SAKABA: hot drinks give way to creative cocktails and quality spirits. The bar menu was designed by MOF barman Christophe Davoine, a connoisseur of Japanese spirits. Sake (which is the subject of special tastings), whisky, yuzushu... but also Asahi matcha beer and non-alcoholic cocktails accompany one of the most comprehensive Japanese cocktail menus in Paris.