Meidi-Ya

Meidi-Ya headquarters

Meidi-Ya Co., Ltd. (株式会社 明治屋, Kabushiki Kaisha Meiji-ya) is a Japanese upmarket grocery store chain.^[1] Its headquarters are in Kyōbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.^[2] It is also a major wholesale distributor.^[3]

Meidi-Ya was established in 1885 by Isono Hakaru (磯野 計).^[2] Meidi-Ya has 14 locations in Greater Tokyo, 7 stores in other parts of Japan,^[2] one store in Amsterdam,^[4] and one store in Singapore.^[5] As of 1989 the chain is one of the principal purveyors of the Japanese royal family.^[3]

The English name Meidi-ya is the Nihon-shiki romanization of the Japanese name. Many foreigners in Japan have pronounced the name with a hard "d" instead of a "j". The di romanization is characteristic of Nihon-shiki.^[1]

Meidi-Ya specializes in sale and production of food and beverages, importing and exporting of food products, wines and spirits, ship equipment, sale of industrial products, leasing and import of machinery, real estate, etc.^[6]

References

• Horvat, Andrew. Japanese Beyond Words: How to Walk and Talk Like a Native Speaker. Stone Bridge Press, 2000. ISBN 1880656426, 9781880656426.
  • See: "The Romaji (Roomaji) Conundrum." (Archive) - Excerpt from Horvat's book, which states: "The di ending is typical of Nipponshiki romanization, an earlier version of Kunree that, though hardly remembered, remains with us in the name of the upmarket grocery chain Meidiya, which generations of foreign residents have pronounced with a hard d instead of as "Meijiya.""

Notes

External links

• Meidi-Ya
• Meidi-Ya (Japanese)
• Meidi-Ya Store
• Meidi-Ya Store (Japanese)
• Singapore Meidi-Ya