When it comes to Japanese food, or restaurants, our knowledge is pretty much limited to sushi parlors, ramen houses and teppanyaki-style grills like Benihana. All of them are wonderful establishments for those who crave a taste of the land of the rising sun. If you were to ask me what my favorite Japanese restaurant is, there is only place I love: Restaurant Mitsukoshi. And what better place to dine Japanese style than in Walt Disney World.
As a kid, when I first visited this iconic establishment at Epcot Center, I always imagined that this was how restaurants in Japan looked. After all, Epcot Center’s World Showcase pavilions don’t skimp on the details when giving visitors an authentic experience in dining and atmosphere. Many of the representatives of the various nations in the World Showcase are working on visas away from their native lands and have consulted everyone in high positions of power to ensure that guests to Epcot are given a proper, if not authentic experience. Also, any restaurant that requires you to climb a lot of steps to reach the top must have some good eats.
Inside this slice of Japan, you are greeted by your kimono-clad hostess who escorts you to one of the many teppanyaki grill rooms where you dine side-by-side with fellow park-goers. You are treated to a dazzling grill show complete with all the classic stand-by’s like a onion-shaped volcano, flying shrimp, the wonderful aroma of soba noodle steam and the familiar symphony of cooking utensils pounding on the grill matched only by the sound of taiko drums being struck outside the torii arch.
Besides the food, there is a complete wine and cocktail list that will please anyone looking to catch a convenient buzz right before heading back to Space Mountain (side note: please don’t drink and drive and please don’t ride the rides while inebriated). I highly recommend the Tokyo Breeze which reminds me of a Singapore Sling.
After a feast of Japanese food, what else is there to do but… shop! Just below the sounds and smells of Teppan Edo is the Mitsukoshi Department Store. If you are a fan of Japanese pop culture or a hardcore fan of anime, you will most certainly be satisfied with this store featuring wall-to-wall Nippon knick-knacks. For the kids, Japanese candies and Pokemon rule the roost; at the beginning of the Pokemon craze in the late 90s and early 2000’s, you can bet this store had the good stuff! For tweens and teens, anime paraphernalia in all forms will tempt you. All of Studio Ghibli’s films from Hayao Miyazaki can be found from left to right (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko, etc.). Choose from your favorite Sailor Moon sailor scout or take your pick from Dragonball merchandise. For me, I highly recommend anything from Aggretsuko or Beastars for the older demographic. If you have a lot of money to spend and you are an avid collector of the far east, Mitsukoshi also carries authentic katana blades and sheaths. I’m not sure if they are of the quality of Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill, but they certainly are beautiful works of art. Try a full-length kimono or a Ukiyo-e print that will transform any room into a scene from Memoirs of a Geisha. Don’t count on any Kabuki makeup kits; Mitsukoshi carries an impressive inventory but I don’t think they are that stocked. That kind of makeup work would take hours. I do, however, wish I could find a kitsune fox mask or statue like the ones from the Inari shrine in Kyoto or Toyokama. Mostly because I think foxes are awesome and are intrinsic part of Japanese folklore. Makes me wonder why Disney hasn’t done a movie like that set in Japan yet. Get on it, Disney Studios!
