Depachika - Japanese Department Store's Mouthwateringly Tantalizing Gourmet Floors

Published: Sep 05 2014 Last updated: Sep 21 2023

tsunagu Japan
tsunagu Japan

Most Japanese department stores have floors nicknamed "depachika," based on their location on the basement floor of department stores. These depachika floors are known for being covered with stalls displaying delectable foods ranging from deli and ready-to-eat to packaged souvenirs that are perfect for bringing back as a memento of your shopping day at the Japanese department store. If you are also feeling peckish during your Japanese department store shopping spree or want to take home a quick yet delicious meal, Japanese depachika have you covered! Lose yourself in the mouthwatering smells of the Japanese department store depachika!

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If you're visiting Japan, you should try to go to what is called a "depachika."

"Depachika" is the Japanese abbreviation for "the department store basement." It's a floor located in most department stores where there is a very broad selection of food and sweets to buy.Why do they sell food in the basements of department stores? There is actually a good reason for this!

These depachika are very popular with foreign tourists, and there are many surprising points about them.Here are some of the most charming parts of depachika.

(This list was originally broadcast on TV Asahi's TV show "Korezo Nippon Ryu!" and is reproduced here.)

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1．An overwhelming variety of products

In depachika, you can find every kind of food, desserts, and drink on offer. Many stores have set up stalls in this enormous area offering the products they are most proud of.

Side dishes

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Perishables

Sweets

Frances Ellen/Flickr

For example, in Japan's one of the largest depachika in Ikebukuro Seibu are 230 food stalls with more than 10,000 products in an area about the size of 1.5 Tokyo Domes(approx. 7.0 ha). There are also around 2500 employees.

Dick Thomas Johnson/Flickr

Of course, with this large number of products, there are several stalls that are offering the same product. For example, In Ikebukuro Seibu, there are 7 stalls selling potato salad and 8 selling karaage chicken and shumai dumplings.

However, though the products are the same, the seasonings, recipe, and size are different. Since depachikas attract many kinds of customers with different kinds of tastes, they offer a variety of the same product to match their tastes. This way, their customers can taste various styles to find which one they like best.

2．They offer freshly-made products

Depachikas offer side dishes freshly made for sale. How can such an overwhelming number of dishes be so fresh?

In larger stores they will have their own kitchen, or in the case of large department stores, there will be a kitchen on-site. They can make the food in those kitchens and then immediately carry it to their stall and line it up in their showcase.

In the case of depachikas where there is no space for kitchens, there is usually a system set up where the kitchens are nearby in the neighborhood and can deliver the product quickly to the stalls.

3．You can sample food

At many stalls offering side dishes or even sweets, they offer samples. You can find the taste you prefer thanks to this sampling.

Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr

The school of thought for the stores is that even if someone samples with no original desire to buy, sampling delicious food might inspire the sampler to buy their wares. It is also polite to ask the employees for permission before taking a sample.

If you go to a depachika, please try some of the samples. Of course, if you end up liking anything, please make sure to buy some.

(However, if you eat a lot of the amount offered or walk around sampling at every store without buying anything, this is a breach of manners. Please respect the restrictions.)

4. You can buy by weight

Usually in supermarkets side dishes and other products are sold in packs, but at department stores you can specify the weight you'd like.

Moreover, since you're able to sample some of these foods, if there's something you like, you can buy just enough to satisfy you. This is rather useful in case no one else in your family likes the product; none will go to waste.

5. Attentive service

First of all, in many very large department stores, there will be staff designated as concierge, and if you tell them the product you're interested in, they can recommend stores and particular varieties.

For example, at Ikebukuro Seibu, lately sweets and desserts have gotten very popular so there are usually 9 people working as dessert concierges. Even if a customer asks for something very specific such as "I would like some sort of dessert that I can only buy here as a homecoming gift for my parents who like coffee," the concierges will be able to give you an answer immediately. All the ingredients and nutritional information are included so you can also ask for suggestions taking your health into consideration.

Also, on rainy days, most stores take the consideration to put a vinyl or plastic cover over your paper bag. If you're wondering how the people working in depachika know the weather even though they're in the basement, it's because there is staff in charge of checking the weather.

For example, in the large department store Daimaru, a staff member checks the weather every 30 minutes. If it's raining even just a little bit, they change the music to "Singin' in the Rain."

Each stall has their own signal to begin covering the paper bags with plastic.

By the way at Daimaru when it stops raining they place "Sunshine Of My Life," and when it rains they play the Japanese children's song "Yuki ya Konkon." Maybe if you go to a dekachika you'll be able to notice what kind of information they're transmitting through the music!

6．They have time sales

Actually, at depachika, they begin discounting their wares an hour before closing. For items like side dishes, fish, meat, and other fresh foods, they have a shelf life so it would be bad for the store if the day ended without that day's products being sold. It's not uncommon to see a 1000 yen product being sold for 100 yen less an hour before closing, 200 yen off 30 minutes before closing, and finally half off 15 minutes before closing.

You should try to aim to go to depachika during this time to take advantage of the sales!

Video

For reference, here's the video. This video should give you an idea of what a depachika is like in Japan.

Characteristics of exemplary department stores

Each department store has its own characteristics and atmosphere.

Goo16/Wikipedia

Primarily aimed at people who are in their late 30s or 40s, this store has a very high-class image. It's a very calm atmosphere.

Goo16/Wikipedia

A store filled with items aimed at people of all ages as well as a full assortment of items that you can only find here, it has an atmosphere that that the entire family can enjoy.