About Us

OUR MISSION

At Umami Mart, we bring joy to everyday life with drinks + design from Japan. Through our thoughtfully curated products and lively events, we strive to integrate Japanese culture with our vibrant Oakland community.

ABOUT UMAMI MART

Since 2012, we have been an independently-owned small business, headquartered in Oakland, CA. Our shop is complete with a sake bar, together with our online shop, is a space to discover something new about Japanese cuisine and culture through its kitchen tools, barware, and drinks; while the blog is a space to share recipes and knowledge. 

Yoko Kumano and Kayoko Akabori are childhood friends who started the Umami Mart blog together in 2007 while they toiled away in their corporate cubicles at opposite ends of the globe (Kayoko in NYC and Yoko in Tokyo). Upon returning to the Bay Area, they began selling Japanese barware on the blog, and from there, they opened their brick and mortar shop in downtown Oakland on August 3, 2012. 

Together Yoko and Kayoko travel to Japan at least once a year to explore new offerings for the shop. Yoko is a certified Kikizakeshi (sake sommelier) and Kayoko is the Shochu Director; both are passionate about introducing the very best in Japanese products to our community, and are usually in the shop. Come say hi!

Read more about the evolution of Umami Mart here. We hope to meet you all soon!

If you have any questions about us and the shop, please drop us a line!