food IS a theme park
We’re in EPCOT today admiring Spaceship Earth!
Spaceship Earth
Well, we’re looking at other parts of the park too! We’re always on the lookout for updates in the Disney World parks and today we’re doing a lap around Future World and the World Showcase. So, without further ado, here’s EVERYTHING new in food, construction, and merchandise in EPCOT!
The Japan Pavillion’s Mitsukoshi Department Store has been know to carry some pretty unusual merchandise!
Will you be a cat? Will you be a dog?
We were chuckling over this line of skincare masks last week that will transform your face into a dog, a cat, or even a BABY!
The Japan Pavilion in EPCOT is one of our favorite spots to find epic food! But our other weakness there is definitely the SHOPPING!
Epcot Pavilion
Of course, we’re talking about Mitsukoshi Department Store where we stumbled across some face masks.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: “Face masks aren’t surprising! That’s all we’ve been hearing about for weeks!” But friend, these aren’t the type of face masks you’re expecting at all.
Maybe it’s not such a big secret that we love Disney snacks — lots and LOTS of Disney snacks.
Spaceship Earth
We’ve already put ourselves through the torturous decisions of ranking the Magic Kingdom lands by snacks AND ranking the lands in Animal Kingdom by their snacks. Whew. Well, we’re suckers for a little decisive turmoil so WE’RE BACK to ranking lands by snacks. This time, we’re examining Epcot’s World Showcase — arguably one of the snackiest spots in all of Disney World! WHICH PAVILION’S SNACKS WILL REIGN SUPREME?
Welcome back to another roundup of What’s New in Epcot!
Spaceship Earth
We’ve got a bunch to cover today, including a colorful new treat, Food & Wine Festival booths, and LOTS of merchandise.
It’s been a while since we enjoyed a dinner in one of the many, many restaurants located around World Showcase. So today, we’re stopping in to Tokyo Dining!
Tokyo Dining is one of two table service restaurants that you’ll find in the beautiful Japan Pavilion, which happens to be a pretty great place to hang out. Mitsukoshi Department Store offers an endless of supply of intriguing merchandise, and the shop in the back is a wonderful spot to discover a new favorite snack. I don’t care if you can now score Pocky at Target — I still can’t resist grabbing some when I’m here!
I could go on. The Sake Bars (yep, there are two…this one and this one), counter service at Katsura Grill and Kabuki Cafe, Kakigori…there is SO much good food here!
But it’s been a while since we’ve taken in a meal at the table service spots. And while I love me some Teppan Edo (read our latest review here), things don’t change much at that Habachi Grill spot. So we decided to check back in with another favorite, Tokyo Dining.
Let’s head in. Or rather, up.
I say “up” because you’ll actually find both Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining on the second floor of Mitsukoshi Department Store. Whether you’re checking in for an advance dining reservation or you’re checking availability for walk up spots, start at this booth located just to the right of the steps leading up to the restaurants.
Guest Check In for Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining
Entrance — Up the Steps
As I mentioned, Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo are both located here. Teppan Edo occupies the back of the second floor, while Tokyo Dining is located to your right at the top of the stairs — in the front of the building. [Read more…]
Today, we are back with another fun and wacky trip through Mitsukoshi Department Store in the Japan Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase.
Mitsukoshi Department Store
Seriously, I haven’t been to the actual country of Japan. (Yet.) But if the department stores there are half as awesome as Mitsukoshi is, then I’m booking the next flight.
I mean, where else can you go to buy all things Hello Kitty; the coolest kimonos, chopsticks, and tea sets imaginable; plus monorail plates (I know. They’re bullet trains. Whatever.) — AND pearls?!?
And don’t even get me started on the Pocky and Sake! (See what I just did there?) Plus a myriad of other fun eats.
Well, we’re staying with the theme of animation on this trip, as we take another fun look at cool candy you can score in the Japan Pavilion.
Let’s get the party started with everyone’s favorite little anime…dude — Pikachu from the world of Pokémon. Well, I mean, he’s in the front. But he has his buddies with him on this “Drink for Entertainment”.
Pokemon Drink
If you’d like to get some insight into what you’ll be ingesting, have a peek at the nutritional information and contents on the back. Although I don’t promise that either will be very illuminating.
Pokemon Drink Nutrition
The Pokémon Candy Packs give you several [Read more…]
There is always some other-things-dressed-up-as-food fun going on at Mitsukoshi Department Store!
This expansive retail space, which takes up much of the Japan Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase, is a great place for exploration. We love to pop into the store for fun souvenirs like this monorail plate (okay, it might be a bullet train, but we’re going to keep pretending).
Mitsukoshi Department Store
It’s a great place for snacks like Pocky as well. You can also browse other fun finds to satisfy cravings, like Japanese candy, or, you know, dried crabs.
And don’t forget to pick up a beverage — Ramune or sake, depending on your taste!
There is also an incredible array of “cute” in the store — and that carries straight through to the back part of the store where you’ll find all the food stuff. In addition to snacks, tea sets, and tableware, there’s some adorable food-shaped merch, like erasers.
Yep! We were exploring with Erin when we found these awesome souvenirs. The erasers were SO detailed, and many of them were packaged in themed sets. I’ve pretty much never had occasion to use an eraser in the past few years, but still… how can you just pass these by?
We found beverage cartons that look like little servings of milk and juice! (Is that corn juice on the left?)
Beverage Carton Erasers
The bakery items are [Read more…]
It’s time to go back to a restaurant we haven’t been to in AGES, my friends!!
Teppan Edo, in Epcot’s World Showcase, is often considered a guest favorite. The upscale Japanese show + cuisine is a must-do for many Disney fans.
So why hadn’t we been back in years? Well, due to the pretty consistent menu and often similar Hibachi grill dining experience, it simply made more sense for us to spend our time and money reviewing other restaurants for you. But seeing as how we hadn’t reviewed this place in for-ev-er, it was time to take a look and see if it still held up to the hype.
Hoping that it would still be a fun and delicious experience, we arrived at the check-in booth in front of Mitsukoshi Department Store.
Guest Check In for Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining
Soon, we were headed up the wide staircase for what we hoped would be another fantastic experience and meal.
Teppan Edo is a teppanyaki-style restaurant. More commonly called a “Japanese steakhouse,” the experience combines cooking and service into one fun performance, I was looking forward to a hearty meal of traditional Japanese favorites.
Once you’re upstairs in the restaurant, you enter the waiting area that’s shared by Teppan Edo and its neighbor — Tokyo Dining.
Teppan Edo Sign
After you receive your pager (which you’ll get from the cast members at the top of the stairs once you’re inside the restaurant), it’s time to sit a spell until they’re ready for you in the restaurant.
The decor here is sleek and unfussy. It immediately puts me at ease; there’s just something so peaceful about the uncluttered space, and I love these lights! The indirect lighting behind the benches is warm without being too bright or glaring.
Here, you also catch a glimpse into the other Japanese table service restaurant, Tokyo Dining. For more about their options, check out our recent Tokyo Dining review.
Waiting Area for Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining
Your pager will go off eventually (it didn’t take long for ours), but because Teppan Edo seats guests at communal tables, you’ll have to wait until all of the guests sharing your table (even if you don’t know them) have presented at the podium. More on the communal eating later!
The eating area at Teppan Edo is comprised of many small dining rooms, joined together by this long hallway. I can’t get enough of this austere set up! It’s so unlike any other restaurant that you visit here.
Hallway Leading to the Dining Rooms
A peek inside one of the rooms [Read more…]
Just about every veteran Disney World visitor knows to block off at least 30 minutes to wander around the black hole of awesomeness that is Mitsukoshi Department Store in Epcot’s Japan pavilion, right?
Mitsukoshi - Exterior of Store
In addition to everything else under the sun — from plush toys to bamboo to coffee mugs — Mitsukoshi offers a plethora of Japanese packaged food items!
Back in December, our fearless guest author Galloping Gourmand (a.k.a. Eric) wrote up a rad review of some more unique Japanese eats found at the store. And we all love indulging in some Pocky now and again.
But the last time I was there (spending my allotted time wandering through kimonos and Hello Kitty paraphernalia), I picked up a couple of appealing-looking packets of “extreme” candy to sample for you! 🙂
The first thing I couldn’t wait to try for this “extreme” candy session was a Japanese version of Pop Rocks!
I originally picked these up to give to Heather‘s kids, but decided that you guys would totally want to experience what would obviously be a truly incredible candy adventure. So I’m doing a review instead. 😉
Japanese Pop Rocks
For those who haven’t seen Pop Rocks before, they’re basically tiny crystals of candy that have been exposed to carbon dioxide at high pressure and allowed to cool. As a result, when they come into contact with liquid, the carbon dioxide is released making the candy pop and sizzle.
Contrary to popular belief (why?!?), nobody has actually died by eating Pop Rocks and drinking carbonated beverages (I know you were wondering). 😉
Back of Japanese Pop Rocks
On my excursion, I picked up the Grape version and the Cola version. At least that’s what I understood them to be by looking at the excited pictures on the packets!
The packets contained the pop rocks crystals as well as little pastel candies. The pastel candies weren’t “poppy,” so I’m guessing there were there for an added sweetness? Upon trying the Pop Rocks, there were just as I’d remembered them from my kid-hood: fun and explosive without too much flavor. 😉
Close Up Look at Contents of Japanese Pop Rocks Packets
BUT, here’s a word to the wise…
If you do have a packet of Pop Rocks (Japanese or otherwise) that you’re reviewing for a food blog about 5 minutes before you have to be checked out of your hotel room and the housekeeper is knocking on your door telling you she has to get the room ready for the next occupant, do not…I repeat DO NOT [Read more…]
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