To celebrate AANHPI month, Utah Royals FC players surprised some of their favorite Asian owned businesses with free ticket vouchers to Utah Royals games that customers can claim when they visit. The Japanese quartet of Mina Tanaka, Aria Nagai, Narumi and Miyabi visited Koyote (551 W 400 N, SLC, UT), Loki Coffee (325 E 900 S, SLC, UT), and finally Japan-Sage Market located at 1515 S Main St in Salt Lake City.
Koyote (551 W 400 N, SLC, UT)
Loki Coffee (325 E 900 S, SLC, UT)
Japan-Sage Market (1515 S Main St, SLC, UT)
Founded in 1910, Sage Market has been a gathering place for the Japanese community since the current building was erected in the 1960s. In 2025, the market was given the Outstanding Utah Asian Business Award by the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce; a tangible reward for an unassuming storefront on Main Street.
Junko Urabe, the seventh owner that Sage Market has seen, did not plan to own the business, in fact she was retired from working at the O.C. Tanner jewelry company just down the street. She recalled visiting the store and how dark and small it was when the previous owner approached her about buying the store.
“I went home, and I asked my family. They said, ‘Go ahead’.” she remembered with a smile.
Despite not knowing how to run a business, Urabe threw herself into Sage Market, expanding the size and adding a small kitchen in the back, full of retired Japanese cooks making fresh food for the market and restaurant. Something that Urabe values highly.
“This is our culture, our food, it’s something special. You feel it. And I like cooking and food but when I started I didn’t know how to do anything. I just wanted to introduce Japanese food.”
Her vision has paid off. During the visit from the players, the store had a constant flow of customers and not only Japanese customers, but customers from all walks of life, purchasing Japanese products. Sage Market is where the Royals purchased all of the products for their onigiri making lesson.
“We meet a lot of different people, lots of different people. Before, some would not even say hi, but now they stop and talk to me. I really enjoy that relationship with our customers.”
For the Japanese community, Sage Market has been a slice of home where they can buy specialized products, but the humble store has become so much more to the larger community. Urabe has opened her arms at a time when Japanese TV, fashion and cosmetics are taking over the globe. For her, the simple joy is sharing a piece of her home through food.
