What is Depachika?
In Japan most department stores have food sections located at the basement level. When I was a child there were lots of gift counters with sweets and liquor there, becuase we used to take care in selecting "the right class" of gift, that we would send from a department store. However, now we don’t really care for such a thing anymore and this has has changed the department stores too. These days, there are luxury food sections on the basement levels which are called ‘DEPACHIKA’. (This is an abbreviation: DEPA=depatment store, CHIKA = the first basement). Because of the economic slow down, department stores are in a slump, but DEPACHIKA is always filled with people!
DEPACHIKA is "delicious"?
famous restaurant, but reasonable price
There is food from famous restaurants and first class Japanese style restaurants. For example, you have to pay a 10,000 Yen cover charge to enter these first class restaurants; however, you can get food from the same restaurants much cheaper at DEPACHIKA. Also, you don’t need to order a full course meal, you
can order want you want. You can even get food from very high-class Japanese-style restaurants like Tsujidome(JP), NADAMAN and KICCHO have take-home food and plus regular dinners. Or you may try eat in, prices are about 50% off compared to the original restaurant.
Rare food from all over the world
DEPACHIKA has very rare food specialties from all over Japan. Normally you have to visit each prefecture to get their specialties, but you don’t need to travel around anymore! You can get them at DEPACHIKA now. For example, you can get cake from a famous cake shop in Tokyo and from a very popular bakery in Kobe, or a bento box from a high-class Japanese restaurant of high standings in Kyoto and specialties from Kyushu. There are food selections from overseas, too. IL salumaio offers Italian food from Milan, Fukurinmon offers Cantonese food from Hong Kong, and Gerard Mulot offers macaroons from Paris. You can get all thesefoods in one place: DEPACHIKA.
Good selections at Depachika
There is intense competition in the DEPACHIKA business. Lately, DEPACHIKA has had extraordinary popularity, so every department store is desperate to have the best "premier" products that are new, yummy or exotic! People like the sound of limited quantities, limited time, a limited store and so on. Sometimes you have to stand in line for two hours to buy a cream puff. Here is a web site depachika.com(JP), on this web site you can compare the updates on each DEPACHIKA. There is good selection there and also you can choose and buy some food, bit by bit at each place and enjoy the eating luxury at home. Which will be your own full course meal of your own choice; "pettit geougous" This is one of the most common attractions of DEPACHIKA.
DEPACHIKA is not trendy anymore?
DEPACHIKA is still popular, but the trend has peaked. After DEPACHIKA, 'HOTEICHI’ is the up and coming trend. HOTEICHI is an abbreviation for the first floor of a first class hotel (HOTE =Hotel and Ichi = 1) You may enjoy hotel cuisine of the Imperial Hotel and the Hotel Okura easily as Take-out. People who are real-oriented prefer HOTEICHI than DEPACHIKA, by the way, department stores are near the train stations, so it is very convenient, but not every hotel is located near a station. Also you cannot shop at other the hotels and I’ve never heard of someone who shops at HOTEICHI, so I guess media uses HOTEICHI as a sales gimmick.
Diing out is 'Out dish cooking' and eat at home eating is "in dish" and called "middel dish" (a home meal replacement) when you buy food outside and bring them home. Japanese economy is booming now but still in a recession. People who can’t afford to go out, but enjoy sumputuous meal with this "middle dish" reveals an important dining out trend.
Depaertment store list
Shinjuku area
Isetan : 3-14-1 shinjuku - shinjuku-ku - tokyo
Takashimaya : 5-24-2 sendagaya - shibuya-ku - tokyo
Odakyu : 1-1-3 nishishinjuku shinjuku-ku tokyo
Keio : 1-1-4 nishishinjuku shinjuku-ku tokyo
Mituskoshi : 3-29-1 shinjuku shinjuku-ku tokyo
Ginza area
Mitsukoshi : 4-6-16 Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo
Matsuya : 3-6-1 Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo
Matsuzakaya : 6-10-1 Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo
Nihonbashi area
Takashimaya : 2-4-1 nihonbashi chuo-ku tokyo
Ikebukuro area
Tobu : 1-1-25 nishiiebukuro toshima-ku tokyo
Seibu : 1-28-1 minamiikebukuro toshima-ku tokyo
Shibuya area
Tokyu : 2-24-1 dogenzaka shibuya-ku tokyo
Seibu : 21-1, udagawa-cho, shibuya-ku tokyo
Lots of shops at DEPACHIKA have sampling booths. It is fun to go to DEPACHIKA and try free samples of wonderful food! Warning: DEPACHIKA is always crowded. So please be prepared for crowds before you go. I sometimes go to DEPACHIKA to buy bread from Troisgros, though I don’t like the crowds at DEPACHIKA…….
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