What do people get wrong about department stores and depachika?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
The basement food hall — depachika — is one of the most recommended experiences in Japanese cities, and department stores remain the destination for gifts and tax-free luxury. The etiquette and the economics are not obvious.
The layout
| Floor | What is there | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| B1–B2 (depachika) | Food counters: bento, sweets, deli, bakery, sake, fresh produce | Take-away; a few counters have eat-in bars |
| 1F | Cosmetics, accessories, tax-free counter | Tax-free processing usually here or on a designated floor |
| Middle floors | Fashion by brand; kimono on an upper floor | Sizes run small (see the sizing article) |
| Top floor | Restaurants, event hall (seasonal food fairs), sometimes a rooftop garden | Restaurants have queues at 12:00 |
- Department-store sales were about ¥5.4 trillion in 2023 and ¥5.8 trillion in 2024; duty-free sales to visitors reached a record ¥649 billion in calendar 2024, 11% of the total (Japan Department Stores Association).
- Wrapping is free and expected for gifts; the store's paper signals the gift's provenance. Say "purezento de" (as a gift).
- Depachika bento are discounted 30–50% from about 19:00; the best-known counters sell out earlier.
[Verify] Sales figures with the Japan Department Stores Association's monthly and annual reports; the tax-free rules change on 1 November 2026 (see the tax-free article).
Misunderstanding 1｜You can eat as you browse
Depachika are shops, not food courts. Eating while walking is frowned on; look for the small eat-in corner or take your purchases to a park or your hotel.
Misunderstanding 2｜Samples mean free lunch
Tasting is offered to help you choose. Taking several without buying is noticed. One taste, then a decision, is the local rhythm.
Misunderstanding 3｜Everything is expensive
Individual items — one piece of wagashi, one croquette, a single bento — are priced like a good lunch (¥300–1,500). The whole cakes and gift boxes are where the prices climb.
Misunderstanding 4｜The clerk is upselling when they ask about ice
They are asking whether you want a cooling pack (horeizai) and for how many hours you will carry the food. Answer with a number of hours; the pack is free.
Misunderstanding 5｜Department stores are dying
Regional stores have closed (sales outside the ten big cities fell 0.5% in 2024), but flagship stores in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka posted record sales in 2023–24, driven by inbound luxury spending. The depachika is the anchor that keeps residents coming.
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Sources
- Japan Department Stores Association — Sales statistics and duty-free sales reports
https://www.depart.or.jp/
- Japan Tourism Agency — Consumption trends of international visitors
https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/
- National Tax Agency — Tax-free shopping for visitors
https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/shiraberu/taxanswer/shohi/6551.htm
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
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