While I was in Yokohama, I stepped into a fairly sizable (for Japan anyway) supermarket and saw a whole display of tempura (breaded and deep-fried food) and yakitori (grilled chicken parts skewers). If I hadn't felt so sick from eating too much MSG-laced ramen, I would have eaten up a storm of skewered foods.
I have never seen so much tempura or so much variety of tempura in one place in all my life. It's like a country fair of deep-fried things except available every day at the supermarket... well, this particular supermarket anyway. I can't say a tempura display was common at the supermarkets that I went to while in Japan. I think it would only make sense in a heavily-trafficked area.
There was a lady that would bring out freshly fried tempura every once in a while. They had tempura fish, a lot of various veggies, shrimp, and even tempura sausage!
Chicken cutlets or katsu. I need to go back to Japan and find this supermarket so I can stuff my face.
Sausages and pork. I think that's a corn dog like skewer on the upper left.
They also had a table of croquettes, which are deep-fried mashed potato patties with various fillings.
*Sigh* I think my biggest regret in Japan was not be able to try the tempura/yakitori table at this supermarket.
