In my opinion, you haven’t truly experienced all that Japan has to offer until you’ve spent some time in a depachika.
Short for depāto (department store) chika (basement), these bustling food halls are de facto tourist attractions that shouldn’t be missed.
It doesn’t really matter whether it’s Takashimaya, Daimaru, Isetan, Mitsukoshi, Sogo, Matsuya or Parco — there’s always a dazzling array of food choices on offer.
Takashimaya Osaka Namba
Across the street from the Frasers Residence Nankai, where we were staying in Osaka, stood a massive Takashimaya. And not just any old Takashimaya, but the global headquarters of the entire chain.
We had passed it many times as we walked from our hotel to the subway station in the mornings, and back again at night.
But since there were so many interesting restaurants in Osaka, buying depachika takeout for a meal felt like a wasted opportunity.
Especially in the foodie capital of Japan, where “kuidaore” (食い倒れ), or “eat until you drop”, is an actual thing; something that’s widely practised by the locals.
After several blissful days of bingeing on shabu shabu, sukiyaki, tamagoyaki, oden, doteyaki, sushi and sashimi, that was exactly the state we found ourselves in.
The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was our encore lunch at an izakaya inside the sprawling Namba Walks underground shopping district.
We ordered dish after dish from the extensive menu and ate to our heart’s content, washing it all down with smooth nihonshu, a.k.a. Japanese sake.
That very evening, on our fourth day in Osaka, we hit the wall.
Dinner was supposed to be kushikatsu and nama biru at a popular salaryman joint in Shinsekai. Our hearts were willing, but our stomachs were weak.
Time to activate Plan B.
Something light and healthy from the Takashimaya basement. Not too heavily seasoned, with sufficient fibre to aid in digestion.
Let me tell you, it was not easy.
Every place we stopped at was packed with tempting delights, starting with the Kakiyasu Dining deli counter.
It displayed beautiful platters of food that looked like they were meant for a restaurant banquet. They say we first eat with our eyes, and this was a prime example.
The bright and vivid colours of each and every item hinted at the fresh and flavourful morsels that could be brought home.
As we wandered down the aisles, we were greeted by all kinds of temptation.
From grilled fish bentos to braised squid with yams to pretty tamagoyaki rolls to golden deep-fried korokkes.
Just when we thought that we had successfully resisted temptation, an entire fully-stocked section of sushi and sashimi greeted us.
The quality of what we saw in those plastic takeaway containers rivaled that of Japanese restaurants in Singapore.
Actually, come to think of it, most were clearly superior and, to add insult to injury, available at a fraction of the price.
What was supposed to be a quick in-and-out dash turned into a 30 minute exploration of the culinary delights that can be found in a Japanese depachika.
I’m proud to say that we ultimately prevailed. The plan was for a light and healthy dinner, and that’s exactly what we eventually got.
Takashimaya Kyoto Shijo
Six days later, we found ourselves in a similar situation. This time, in a totally different city.
We had just finished a long trek from Gion to Kiyomizudera, and it was still quite early when we got back to our hotel.
There was still time for a spot of shopping before the shops closed, so we headed to downtown Kawaramachi, where there also happened to be a Takashimaya.
We managed to reach the basement food hall before closing time, and did a speed run to procure dinner.
Compared to the flagship store in Osaka, the selection was not as extensive. But there was still a wide range of food to choose from, including many familiar stalls.
Our yuba teishoku lunch that day was quite light, coupled with the fact that we had walked more than 2.4 kilometres, gave us legitimate reason to have more than just salad.
The potato croquettes looked enticing, especially the seasonal one with bamboo shoots. The pre-closing discount pushed us over the edge and we bought two pieces.
Tucked away in one corner was 551 Horai, possibly the most prolific Chinese restaurant chain in Osaka. They’re famous for their steamed pork buns, but they also sell a variety of other dishes.
The super friendly staff at the cashier lured us in, and the food samples in the display sealed the deal.
We ordered the fried rice bento that included an appetiser sampler, and waited while the kitchen whipped up a fresh batch.
It was a bit ironic because we had passed by 551 Horai’s flagship shop in Namba several times without buying anything. There was even an outlet literally next door to our hotel in Osaka.
But here we were in Kyoto, carrying one of their bentos back to our hotel. The food hit the spot, especially the surprisingly fluffy egg fried rice and the juicy shumais.
Proper cutlery and crockery were available in our room, but we were lazy and ate straight out of the plastic containers.
If we had taken the effort to plate everything up nicely, it could have easily passed off as a three course dinner in a sit-down eatery.
For our past holiday trips to Japan, I’ve always focused on searching for restaurants to add to our itinerary. In the future, it looks like I need to dedicate at least one meal for depachika takeout.
