Department store basement floors in Japan are called 'Depachika' and usually host various food tenants; deli, bakeries, local delicacies, take-out dinners, etc. But one cannot miss the great temptation of Depachika sweets: yummy chocolates, cakes, cookies and other high-end goodies.
From Jan 23-28 Shinjuku Isetan will host the 5th annual Salon de Chocolat. There will be 55 chocolate brands from 11 nations gathering to allure the sweet fans of the city.
www.isetan.co.jp/sdc/
(Sorry, Japanese only)
Today's morning news reported that 500 people lined up for the event opening yesterday. All could not enter the floor so hundreds of them even had to line-up on the staircase. A box of 18-piece chocolate was on sale for 17,500 JPY (about 165 USD), and women don't just line up for that, but also love taking photos with the patissiers as if they were Hollywood celebrities!
This event is clearly greasing the wheels for Valentine's Day sales; in Japan, the 'tradition' is for women to give chocolates to men (see, Japan really is a great country!). It is also true that some of them give themselves chocolates as a 'reward' for their stressful / hard urban daily lives.
If you can't make the event, get yourself a free sample of Fresh Chocolate (chocolate made from fresh cream, Nama-choco) while perusing the selections. Fancy a piece worth 10 USD?
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