Enjoy Japanese department stores basements !
about Japanese "depachika"
You might associate a Japanese word “department store” with expensive stores, but every Japanese department store has its own depachika and all of which are crammed with attractive shelves containing a wide range of foods from a delicious bento box to gorgeous sweets yet for reasonable prices. Aisles snaking between the various shops and counters lead to bountiful displays of season’s foods anytime.
Some of the major department stores are :
< Mitsukoshi >
http://www.mitsukoshi.co.jp.e.bm.hp.transer.com/shop?EcLogicName=storeinfo.storetopInfo&tenpoCd=12
< Takashimaya >
http://www.takashimaya.co.jp/corp/english/shops/index.html
< Tokyu >
http://www.tokyu-dept.co.jp.e.fa.hp.transer.com/honten/
Look for Sampling foods!
A lot of special foods will gather at depachika from all over Japan, ranging from fresh fish, fruits of the land, cakes, alcohol and local foods. As they also have rare and unique foods even for Japanese people, a lot of visitors end up staying long whenever they stop by at the depachika. What makes it even more interesting is they give away free sampling foods.
Sometimes they grill a marbled cuts of marbled beef or let you taste a precious alcohol. By exploring the depachika floor and nibbling at the samples, if you are lucky enough, you feel as if you travel around Japan enjoying a wide range of local foods. I assure you can enjoy your time there even if you don’t buy anything after all.
There's even a website tracking current food fairs, limited-time bargains for the seasons and special-guest vendors. You might want to check out below links before your trip. During this time of the year, there are a lot of information related to the Doll’s Festival (March 3) and White Day (March 14).
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/depachika/
fujimorison
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