Enjoying local food in restaurants and having some nice conversations with the people we meet in them can become an unforgettable experience. But how about this option: Going to a supermarket for local foods and fruits; Then, after filling your basket with scrumptious delicacies, going back and having a picnic in your hotel room or at Yamashita Park?! It is also a good way to save money!
In Yokohama, the best place to get a variety of tasty foods is at SOGO (そごう) department store’s huge basement (B2 level) food market. SOGO is connected to Yokohama Station and is easy to reach. Once inside the store, grab a Store Guide Floor Map at the Information Desk to the left of the entrance. (Also see the web link below) Although the floor guide is in Japanese, it is useful because it is color-coded.
Today, I would like to take you on a tour of this busy, noisy, cheerful market! If you have trouble finding any of the places, go back to the Information Desk and they will help you find it! Also, keep your eye open for shops giving away free samples. There are many! Now, let’s begin!
Confectionary Corner (Purple Area on floor guide) First, let’s visit the confectionary corner. Yummy! The best sweets that Yokohama can provide are all here in this corner. I love the chocolate cake sold by Mutekiro (霧笛楼) and the custard pudding from Marlowe (right next to each other). The chocolate cake is made with very heavy and thick chocolate, and arranged nicely in a small package, so it’s really easy to eat. The custard pudding from Marlowe is nice and sweet with a rich custard flavor that will spread all around the inside of your mouth. Your tongue will remember the taste for the entire day!
Chinese Food Corner (Red Area on floor guide) Next, let’s visit the Chinese food section. You probably know that Yokohama has a big Chinatown in Ishikawacho, but if you don’t have a chance to visit there, you are in luck: Some of the best Chinese restaurants in Chinatown have shops in SOGO! I recommend nikuman (肉まん) from Kyokaro (京華楼) and subuta, ebichiri, and chin-jao-rosu at Kuilin (桂林). Now, let me explain what they all are! Nikuman is a steamed bun with meat inside it. When I eat nikuman at home, I put a small piece of butter inside. The butter melts into the hot meat and mixes with the tasty meat juices. That is soooo nice! I hope you will try it. The last three dishes are my three favorite Chinese foods. Subuta is sweet and sour pork. This might astonish you; it’s that good! After you try a few bites, you can begin to eat the other dishes. Ebi-chiri is fried spicy-hot shrimp. This goes unbelievably well with cold beer. Chin-jao-rosu consists of fine strips of beef, green pepper, and bamboo shoots. They are fried and seasoned with oyster sauce. Delicious!
Seafood Corner (Light Blue Area on floor guide) The third place I want to take you is the seafood corner. Here, you can get real sushi, sashimi, grilled fish and so on. Everything is very fresh, so please remember to eat it as soon as possible. In the daytime, they rarely give us discounts, but if you are lucky enough to come here in the evening, you might get a package of 2000-yen sushi for only 1000 yen or even less!
Fruit and Vegetable Corner (Pale Green Area on floor guide) The next place we will visit is the grocer, “Garden Jiyugaoka.” Here, you can get some fresh fruits and vegetables. They also have nice sesami oil (ごま油), authentic soy sauce (醤油), and other Japanese seasonings. They might be a good purchase for your kitchen collection back home. Ask for help if you can’t find what you want. Japanese-style.
Sweets Corner (Light Brown Area on floor guide) Now, how about some Japanese sweets? The characteristic of Japanese sweets is that they are low in calories, and low in fat. Minamoto-kiccho-an (源吉兆庵) is highly recommended. The quality of their anko buns (bean paste buns) is very good and definitely worth trying.
Sake and Wine Corner (Purple Area with Orange Border on floor guide) Finally, if you like to drink, then I recommend that you try some nice Japanese sake. The liquor shop has variety of sake, shochu, wine and beer. It’s a lot of fun just looking around and browsing the sake labels—they are quite beautiful.
Now, let’s eat! Bon appetite!
