Wish Upon a Tokyo Starfish: A True Farm-to-Table Dispensary

The Oregon DOPE Magazine team recently headed down to Bend to see what one of the biggest, year-round outdoor destinations had to offer the recreational cannabis enthusiast. Founded by a group of friends while on a snowboard trip to Japan, the name ‘Tokyo Starfish’ comes from a famous intersection resembling the five-pointed creatures.

“The location was a dog grooming place and an antique shop,” recalls Sara, General Manager of the new south store location. “We completely opened up the space and remodeled from the ground up.” The lobby, or lack thereof, was a pleasant surprise from the cramped, sometimes jail-like lobbies once required by law. Bright and spacious, several smiling budtenders beckoned us in. I found myself admiring The Original Strong Silicon Water Pipe, an impossible-to-break piece, made right in Bend.

The atmosphere is upbeat and engaging, and the energy quite active, with customers coming in to load up before a day of mountain biking or snowboarding. The budtenders are quick to answer my questions without making me feel rushed, and are obviously excited to be in such a spacious location. The neighbors are excited, too. The south end of town and communities such as Sunriver and La Pine finally have closer access to top-shelf goods.

I was impressed by their selection. All the familiar brands of edibles and cartridges I’ve grown to love in Portland were there, as well as some local Bend favorites. Their Flower selection is a veritable who’s who of top-shelf cannabis farms, the highlight being Tokyo Starfish’s own in-house grower, TG Industries, LLC. TG offers several connoisseur CBD strains, which were prominently displayed in the middle of the showroom: Blue Shark, Harlequin and Harle-Tsu. Talk about getting in on the CBD game! They also offer a Durban Poison, Jillybean and a Lemon Sour Diesel. TG supplies both locations (South and Old Bend) with their clones for personal grows, as well.

With a solid following from their original location, Tokyo South is already shaping up to be one of the premier cannabis locations in Bend!