One weekday afternoon in January, an elderly woman dropped by Tokushima Ai-ai Plaza in Tokyo's Minato Ward just to pick up a package of boiled and dried baby sardines and fish paste.

This is not at all unusual at the Tokushima Prefecture outlet.

Located close to the government office districts of Kasumigaseki and Toranomon, the outlet acts as a grocery store providing Tokushima delicacies, from both the sea and the land.