Japan Depachika Guide: Department Store Food Floors
Contents
A depachika is a department store’s basement food floor. It can bring several kinds of food shopping together in one place, but the counters, opening hours and available products depend on the individual store. This guide focuses on two Tokyo examples: the food floors at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi and Isetan Shinjuku.
The official store information checked on 5 November 2026 lists different hours for food sales and restaurants at both stores. That distinction matters if you are planning a visit near closing time or want to combine food shopping with a sit-down meal. Check the relevant store page again before you travel, especially if your plan depends on reaching a particular counter.
What to find on a depachika food floor
A depachika is useful when you want to compare different kinds of food shopping without assuming that every department store has the same selection. At Isetan Shinjuku, the official floor guide identifies fresh food, prepared dishes, Japanese sweets, Western sweets, bread, wine and spirits, groceries, tea and a food event area on the main building’s B1 floor. Nihombashi Mitsukoshi’s food floors are in B1 of both its main and new buildings; the Tokyo tourism guide describes prepared dishes, fresh ingredients and seasonal Japanese and Western sweets there.
These are store-specific descriptions, not a guarantee that all department stores have identical counters. A directory tells you which categories and tenants the store lists, but it does not confirm that a particular product is available on the day you visit. For a specific item, check the current store directory and confirm details with the counter.
Match the food category to your plan
If you are looking for something to take away as a meal, start by checking the prepared-food listings. If you are looking for a gift, compare the sweets counters and check the packaging and product information for the item you are considering. Fresh ingredients, bread, tea and groceries may suit other shopping plans, but the right choice depends on your needs and how you will carry or store the purchase.
The categories listed for Isetan Shinjuku illustrate why a floor guide is a useful first step: its B1 directory separates fresh food and prepared dishes from sweets, bread, groceries and tea. At Nihombashi Mitsukoshi, the Tokyo tourism guide highlights prepared dishes, fresh ingredients and seasonal sweets. Use these descriptions to decide where to begin, then rely on the counter’s current information for product-level details.
The official descriptions do not provide a general price list for these categories. Prices, product sizes and selection can differ between counters and individual items, so compare the displayed price for the actual product rather than assuming a set budget or a fixed price for a category. If a price or quantity is unclear, ask the seller before paying.
Check the directory for the counter you want
A floor guide can help narrow down where to look, especially in a store with more than one food floor or building. Isetan Shinjuku identifies its food categories on the main building’s B1 page; Nihombashi Mitsukoshi has food floors on B1 in both the main and new buildings. Check the directory for the correct store and building before walking to a counter.
The Nihombashi Mitsukoshi tenant information lists the Nikko meat counter, Nikko Salmon and a grocery shop on B1. This is tenant information from the business listing checked for this guide, not confirmation of a particular day’s stock or product range. If one of these counters is important to your visit, consult the current directory and ask the counter about its selection.
For broader food ideas, JGO!’s Tokyo food guide, bento guide and guide to wagashi in Tokyo can help you decide what kinds of food you might want to seek out. They do not replace the department store’s current floor directory. If you have a specific product in mind, use the directory to find the relevant area and check the item itself at the counter.
Two Tokyo depachika: Nihombashi Mitsukoshi and Isetan Shinjuku
The stores below are useful examples of how food-floor location and opening hours can vary even within one city. Nihombashi Mitsukoshi lists food sales until 19:30, while its general store hours end at 19:00; Isetan Shinjuku lists general store hours of 10:00–20:00. Restaurant areas have separate listings, so the time shown for a food floor should not be treated as the opening time for a restaurant.
The official access and directory pages for these stores were checked on 5 November 2026. The listed details are a planning reference, not a guarantee that every counter or restaurant has the same hours. Check the linked pages for the part of the store you intend to visit and confirm any essential details with the store.
| Store | Food-floor location and listed hours | Access information |
|---|---|---|
| Nihombashi Mitsukoshi | B1 in the main and new buildings; food sales 10:00–19:30 | About one minute from Mitsukoshimae Station |
| Isetan Shinjuku | Main building B1 is the food floor; general store hours 10:00–20:00 | 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City; see the official access page for your route |
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi: food floors and separate restaurant hours
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi is at 1-4-1 Nihombashi Muromachi, Chuo City. The store lists food sales from 10:00 to 19:30, although its general store hours are 10:00 to 19:00. Its official access and hours page also gives separate listings for its restaurant areas, so check the relevant listing rather than relying on the general closing time.
The main building’s seventh-floor restaurant area is listed as 11:00–19:00, while the new building’s restaurant area is listed as 11:00–22:00. These are area hours, not a guarantee that every restaurant takes orders until the stated closing time; the store notes that restaurant hours vary by establishment. If a particular restaurant is essential to your plan, check its details directly.
The food floors are on B1 in both the main and new buildings, according to GO TOKYO’s Nihombashi Mitsukoshi guide. The guide describes prepared dishes, fresh ingredients and seasonal Japanese and Western sweets. Since the food floors occupy two buildings, use the current floor guide to locate a particular counter instead of assuming it is in the building you enter first.
Isetan Shinjuku: B1 food floor and seventh-floor restaurants
Isetan Shinjuku is at 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City. Its official access page lists general store hours of 10:00–20:00 and provides route information for reaching the store. The same page distinguishes the department store’s hours from those of its restaurant area.
The main building’s B1 is the food floor. The official floor guide lists fresh food, prepared dishes, Japanese and Western sweets, bread, wine and spirits, groceries, tea and a food event area. These are helpful starting points for navigating the floor, but the guide does not establish what is in stock or the price of a particular product.
Isetan’s seventh-floor restaurant area is called Eat Paradise and is listed as open from 11:00 to 22:00. That is separate from the B1 food floor and from the department store’s general hours. If you are visiting for both shopping and a restaurant meal, plan them as separate stops and check whether the specific restaurant’s details affect your schedule.
Getting to Nihombashi Mitsukoshi and planning your route
Nihombashi Mitsukoshi’s listed address is 1-4-1 Nihombashi Muromachi, Chuo City. The store gives several public-transport access estimates: about one minute from Mitsukoshimae Station, seven minutes from Shin-Nihombashi Station and ten minutes from Tokyo Station’s Nihombashi exit. These are the store’s estimates, so allow time for your own route through the station and any building entrances you need.
Mitsukoshimae Station is served by the Ginza and Hanzomon lines. The store also lists a five-minute walk from Nihombashi Station’s B9 exit on the Tozai Line. Mitsukoshimae and Nihombashi are different station entries in the store’s directions, with different walking estimates; check the station and exit shown in your route before you set out.
Choose the station direction that matches your arrival
If your route brings you to Mitsukoshimae Station, the store lists a walk of about one minute from the station. If you are travelling via Nihombashi Station, use the listed B9 exit as the starting point for the five-minute estimate. For travellers coming from Tokyo Station, the store specifies the Nihombashi exit for its ten-minute estimate.
These estimates are useful for comparing arrival options, but they do not describe every possible station transfer or walking route. Check your route against the station name and exit on the official store access page. This is particularly helpful if you are going to a specific building, since the food floors are in both the main and new buildings.
The main building was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2016, according to GO TOKYO. Nihombashi Mitsukoshi has separate main and new buildings, so that heritage detail does not replace the practical step of checking the floor guide. Look up the counter you want before visiting and confirm which building and floor it is listed in.
Reaching Isetan Shinjuku
Isetan Shinjuku is at 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City. Its official access page provides the store’s route information, so use that page to choose directions that match your starting point rather than relying on a route for another station. The store’s representative telephone number is 03-3352-1111 if you need to contact it.
The main building’s B1 food floor and seventh-floor Eat Paradise restaurant area serve different purposes and have separate information pages. The store lists general hours of 10:00–20:00 and restaurant-area hours of 11:00–22:00. Check both the relevant floor information and the route page if your visit depends on reaching a particular area at a particular time.
How to choose and buy food
A practical visit starts with the type of purchase you want to make. Use the floor directory to locate a prepared dish, fresh ingredient, sweet, bread, tea or another listed category, then compare the products actually available at the counter. Since the directories do not give current item prices, ingredients or expiry information, rely on the product label and seller for those details.
A simple shopping sequence
- Choose a store and check its floor guide. Confirm which building and floor contains the category or counter you want. For Isetan Shinjuku, the food categories are listed on main building B1; at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi, the food floors are on B1 in both the main and new buildings.
- Check the hours for the right part of the store. Food sales and restaurants can have different hours, as they do at both stores in this guide. If you are arriving near closing, use the food-sales hours for shopping and the specific restaurant information for a meal.
- Compare the item and its displayed price. Check the price and quantity for the product you have selected, rather than assuming that items in the same category cost the same. Ask the counter to clarify the price or serving information if it is unclear.
- Check product information before you pay. For a gift or a purchase you will carry for a while, read the item’s packaging and any storage or expiry information. Ask the seller about ingredients, allergens and how long the product can be carried before eating if those details matter to you.
- Plan what happens after purchase. Follow the item’s own storage instructions and consider whether your remaining travel plans allow you to carry it appropriately. Do not assume that a department-store floor has seating or that food can be eaten in any chosen area; check the property’s rules.
This sequence keeps store-level information separate from product-level information. A floor guide can direct you to a category, but it cannot establish the ingredients, allergens, storage requirements or expiry information for an individual item. The label and counter are the appropriate places to check those details.
Compare products without assuming a standard price
There is no verified general price range in the store information used for this guide. A prepared dish, a sweet, bread and a grocery item are different kinds of purchases, and the current product and amount selected determine the price shown at the counter. Compare the displayed price for the exact item and quantity you are considering.
For items where a serving or quantity is not obvious, ask the counter to explain what the displayed information applies to. Do not substitute an assumed price per item or per weight for the amount shown for your selection. If the price is a key part of your decision, confirm it before paying.
The available official information also does not establish a fixed end-of-day discount, a general discount time or a guaranteed reduction. Any markdown would need to be confirmed for the individual product and day at the counter. It is safer to plan around the listed food-sales hours and the price you see than to make a visit depend on a presumed discount.
Take-away, storage and dietary questions
If you are buying food to carry, check the product’s own packaging and instructions before leaving the counter. The official floor guides do not give a general shelf life or a single rule for how long purchases can be carried. Ask about storage and timing if you need to eat the item later or give it to someone as a gift.
For ingredients or allergens, read the information provided with the item and ask the counter if you need clarification. A store directory names categories and counters; it is not a source of product-specific ingredient or allergen information. If you have a dietary requirement, confirm it for the exact item rather than relying on a general description of the counter.
Do not assume that a basement food floor has seating or that eating is permitted in a particular area. The official information used here separates food sales from restaurant areas, but does not establish a general eating-in rule for the food floors. If you want a sit-down meal, check the store’s restaurant listings and the details for the restaurant you plan to visit.
Common questions
Are depachika food floors open as late as the restaurants?
Not necessarily; food sales and restaurants can have different listed hours. Nihombashi Mitsukoshi lists food sales until 19:30, its main-building seventh-floor restaurant area until 19:00, and its new-building restaurant area until 22:00. Check the store’s official hours for the area you plan to visit, and check a specific restaurant separately if its hours are important.
Which floor is the food floor at Isetan Shinjuku?
The food floor is on B1 of Isetan Shinjuku’s main building. Its official floor guide lists fresh food, prepared dishes, sweets, bread, wine and spirits, groceries, tea and a food event area. The store’s seventh-floor Eat Paradise restaurant area is separate from B1 and has its own listed hours.
Does Nihombashi Mitsukoshi have food floors in more than one building?
Yes. GO TOKYO lists food floors on B1 in both the main and new buildings. Check the current directory to locate the particular counter you want, because the general description does not say which building contains every individual tenant. The store’s access and hours page also distinguishes food sales from restaurant areas.
Are there discounts near closing time?
This guide does not establish a regular discount time or a guaranteed reduction. Any discount would depend on the product and day, so check the displayed price at the counter when you visit. Do not plan your route or budget around an unconfirmed markdown.
Can I check ingredients, allergens or storage time from the floor guide?
No. A floor guide identifies categories and counters, but it does not provide verified product-specific ingredients, allergens, expiry information or storage requirements. Read the information attached to the item and ask the seller if anything remains unclear. This is especially important if you have a dietary need or plan to carry the purchase before eating or giving it to someone.
Is the B1 food floor the same as an in-store restaurant?
No. The store information lists food sales and restaurant areas separately. Nihombashi Mitsukoshi’s restaurant listings include areas on the seventh floor, while Isetan Shinjuku identifies its seventh-floor area as Eat Paradise. Check the restaurant’s own current information if you want to sit down for a meal.
