Update 8/4/13: Miso Market seems to have gone on vacation in the middle of their closing sale. A sign in the window said they'll reopen on August 22nd. Sale is now 50% off and they're cash only. Things are looking quite bare inside.
Update 7/29/13: Sale is now 30% off.
Update 7/29/13: Sale is now 30% off.
More bad news for Japanese food lovers. Yesterday, I heard from a friend that Miso Market in Porter Square is closing. I went by today to check it out. It seems the redevelopment of their building has forced them out so they're planning to close on August 30th. Almost all of their inventory is on sale for 25% off (fresh bento and rice are excluded). I'll be a little surprised if they make it to the end of August. The shelves are already a bit bare, although there's a little bit of most things (refrigerated food, snacks, candy, tea) and some odds and ends (appliances, candles, Japanese dishes). I picked up food storage containers and candy.
I'm sad to see them go, although I have to admit I haven't shopped there very much. Parking is hit or miss - sometimes you get lucky and there's metered parking available in front of the store (although it can be stressful/difficult to park with crazy Mass Ave. traffic) but other times it's impossible, so I usually shop at Reliable and Ebisuya which both have plenty of hassle-free free parking.
Japan Village Mart in Brookline Village closed a few months ago, although I was never able to find out why. My friend seemed to think Cherry Mart on Newbury Street closed a few years ago, but I found a Yelp review as recently as last July and their G+ page is still up. If anyone knows whether they're still in business, please leave a comment. If they are closed, that'll make Ebisuya in Medford the only remaining Japanese grocery store in the Boston area.
H Mart is supposedly coming to Central Square in November or December, but we'll see if that happens. Their opening has been delayed by more than a year, which I'm sure Reliable and Lotte are happy about.
