Depachika Department Store Basement

Depachika is probably the best place to experience the culture of Japanese food. Depachika is short for “departo-chika shokuhin uriba” which means ‘department store basement that sells food’. You can find them underneath every ‘Departo‘ (department store). Some of them even have two floors which sell cooked and prepared food on one floor and fresh raw fish and produce on the other.

The depachika isn’t laid out like a supermarket with aisles. Instead you’ll find little tiny individual islands of food shops that are all individually owned. It’s kind like a flea-market.

In the depachika you’ll find bento (meal for one), yakitori (cooked skewered meat), onigiri (rice balls), osouzai (traditional Japanese salad), sushi and sashimi (raw fish), korokke (deep fried mashed potato balls) and tons of other traditional Japanese okazu (Japanese appetizers).

The great thing about a depachika is that you can sample a variety of items. This is a great place to go when you have the munchies. There are tons of bakeries with all kinds of breads like cheese breads… mmmm. You can also find an assortment of sweets shops selling everything from ‘okashi’ (Japanese candies) to cakes and ice cream for desert.

The depachika in the Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro is one of the largest in Tokyo. They have a separate floor for fresh fish, meat and produce. It’s a must see for both the tourist just visiting and the expat living in Tokyo.