Depa-Chika
One extremely interesting aspect of the Tokyo city life is the department store basements. Firstly, Tokyo department stores are EVERYWHERE, especially clustered around the eki or stations and I think, I *think*, Shinjuku has the most of any major Yamanote line station. Secondly, Japanese department stores (as I've said before) are quite different from their American counterparts. They are much bigger and much more lavish. Universally, it seems that each has on its bottom floor both a grocery store (or Supa) for pricey and upscale ingredients and also a... uh... I don't know what to call it... HUGE prepared foods section.

These enormous basements stretch on for what seems like miles in an endless sea of sights, smells and samples. They are, of course, teeming with people and obnoxiously loud. The noise, however, doesn't come from the customers. Rather like an American public market, these ritzy groceries consist of hundreds (literally) of singular shops, each vying for the business of the customer. And in Japanese tradition, this means yelling, and I mean YELLING to beg for business. Sometimes I wonder if anyone's ever heard one "Irrashai!" (Welcome!) too many and simply punched the offending yeller. Knowing the English translation of the Japanese phrases only makes "Ikaga desu ka?" (How about it?) and "Go ryou kudasaimase!" (Your business please!) sound less ethnic and more irritating after the millionth time.

Despite that, I like the Depa-Chika (Department-Basements). The noise makes them a bad place to go when hungry but one can easily fill up on sample after sample at any time of the day. OK, picture a Costco for yuppies where everything is normal sized and incredibly expensive (yet incredibly delicious and well made) and every sample vendor is yelling for YOU to come try THEIR stuff. Just don't come around once too many or they might give you the evil eye. I think I stopped caring after I lost that FOB feeling.

There's a little bit of everything there. Today I went New Year's shopping with my host mom and dad and sampled... cookies, crackers, sashimi, sake, pickles, gyoza, cheese, crackers, fruits... oh, you name it. And it's all great. Probably the most common type of stores in the Depa-Chika are keiki-ya or Cake/ Dessert shops. Good God the Japanese love fancy cakes. Nor just for special occasions either. Your friend sick? Take cake! Going for a visit? Take cake! Bored? CAKE!!! Oh, I'm not complaining. It's bloody expensive but well worth it. Truly, American desserts don't have anything on the Japanese drive for perfection.

I'm not so beholden with the Japanese cookie shops, as I do prefer my cookies less than cracker-dry. But I am impressed with the Pan-ya (Bread stores), another shop found both in Depa-Chika and, well, everywhere. The bread may be mostly white and usually sweet but there are oh so many wonderful and cheap varieties of it. I never really purchase gourmet snack breads but I do like to look. Every now and then I'm fed some strange "stuffed" bread by my family... and I still find the ones with hot dogs in them scary. I'm sorry, Japan, that is NOT sausage.

But really, the Depa-Chika are STUFFED full of everything you could imagine, especially during the holidays. I could have easily gotten sloshed off of sake and wine samples today if I'd played enough the part of an interested customer. Hell, not that even with the crowds there were around those booths. You'll find every manner of traditional and non-traditional foods. You want it, they got it. A first walk-about in a department store basement will be overwhelming and intimidating but I think I've mastered the art.

In Shinjuku, I think it's possible to do a grand tour of, oh, five or so Depa-Chika in a little under two hours with the right amount of skill and patience. Free lunch has never tasted or smelled so good.