Depachika

Depachika are the massive basement-level food halls you’ll find in department stores in Japan. Depachika is a combination of the words for department store (depaato) and basement (chika). 

You could easily spend hours in some of the sprawling depachika in one of the larger department stores in Tokyo. The breadth of their offerings is staggering, as are the prices for some of the most exclusive and exotic items. But there’s no need to worry about that, there are plenty of affordable foods available.

Going to a depachika is an experience I recommend for everyone. I love going to markets and supermarkets in countries I’m visiting to see how they compare to what we have in the US, but going to a depachika is different. 

You’ll find:

Prepared foods: sushi, bento boxes, yakitori, tempura, sashimi, grilled eel on rice, kaki age (fried foods), gyoza, etc.

Mini-liquor stores: Japanese whisky, Japanese gin, Japanese sake, Japanese wine, imported wines and spirits, beer, and Shochu. Some will let you sample what they have on offer.

Small restaurants: from ramen to donburi and everything in between.

Small drink stations: smoothies, coffee, and tea.

Bakeries: fresh French bread, pastries, croissants, scones, muffins, Japanese-style bread, and artisanal loaves.

Confectionery and Sweets: every Japanese sweet and every European treat imaginable. Cakes, cookies, wagashi, baumkuchen, donuts, mochi, chocolate, and more.

Omiyage: Many foods will already be wrapped perfectly so that you can buy them as gifts. And many other items will be available for wrapping if you want. The range here is broad. It includes expensive fruit, fancy sweets, cakes, regional foods, alcohol, imported cheeses, tea, fancy cookies, and local specialties.

Regional goods: Local specialties will be featured. Nagoya will have its red miso, Sapporo will have fresh seafood, Hokkaido will have various milk products, and so on.

Deli-type items: meats, cheeses, spreads.

Kyuuri: Kyuuri are Japanese pickles and damn are they good. —And the variety of other foods that get pickled in Japan is spectacular.

Visiting a depachika is not only fun and convenient but also a cultural experience. I love seeing the quality, thoughtfulness, and care in every aspect of the depachika.

Some famous department stores to visit and check out their depachika: Takashimaya, Isetan, Mitsukoshi, Tobu, Daimaru, Tokyu Foodshow, and Keio. If you want more specific locations known for their massive selection or being good at a particular thing, this article is excellent.

I wrote previously about discounts at supermarkets, well, depachika also drop the prices of prepared foods anywhere from 30-60 minutes before closing time.

Gochisousama/Gochisousama deshita

Gochisousama/Gochisousama deshita (casual/formal) basically means, “Thank you for the meal; it was a feast.” It’s used after eating at a restaurant or someone’s home.

Saying this expression to the chefs and servers after you finish your meal and are leaving the restaurant is guaranteed to put a smile on their faces.

Even when I only knew a few Japanese phrases, this one was always the most fun to use. There’s only so much fun you can have with “excuse me,” “where’s the toilet?” “Thank you,” and “Sorry, I don’t speak Japanese. Do you speak English?” I could be communicating with pointing and miming and be mostly quiet during my entire meal, and then as I was leaving, I’d say this phrase and get the happiest response.

My Japanese has improved, but saying “gochisousama” after meals and seeing the smiling faces at the restaurants never gets old. 

Yakiniku

Yakiniku is the Japanese version of Korean BBQ. They both involve grilling meat at your table, but they differ in other ways. 

Korean food favors strong, spicy, bold flavors, and Korean BBQ is no exception. The meat has typically been marinated in sugar, spices, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. This tenderizes the meat and adds a lot of flavor. It is served with sides that include spicy kimchi and the delicious, and also spicy, gochujang (fermented soybean and chili paste). Those side dishes, or banchan, include numerous other offerings and are an integral part of the experience.

Japanese yakiniku is not usually marinated. It may be lightly seasoned sometimes or simply served plain. This makes sense because Japanese food leans toward more mild flavors. Sauces are provided so diners can dip meat after cooking to add more flavor if they want. The side dishes are more likely to be vegetables like onions and mushrooms. The meat offered at Japanese yakiniku tends to lean toward higher-grade, more expensive cuts, but there is, of course, a range for every price point. 

Keep in mind that neither Japanese yakiniku nor Korean BBQ is a cheap meal. If you’re looking for a bargain, I’d recommend ramen, Japanese curry, or youshoku.

In Japan, a lot of the yakiniku places have tabehodai/viking (all-you-can-eat) offerings on the menu. You choose a time frame, with 60, 90, and 120 minutes being the most common, and pay a set price. There are add-on charges for all-you-can-drink alcohol or sodas.

There are both Korean BBQ and Japanese yakiniku places in Japan, but there are less restaurants specializing in authentic Korean BBQ with the marinated meats and traditional banchan (side dishes).

Last week’s most clicked link was for the Tabelog Hyakumeiten/Top 100 Restaurants

The 2nd most clicked link was for the Oishii Map app featuring the Tabelog Top 100 restaurants (iOS only for iPhone and iPad)

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