There is a particularly perilous hall down on the first floor of Sunshine City, just across the street from Seiyu. I say perilous because it threatens my waistline as well as my wallet. A line of pricey stores which sell very attractive foods.

Begin with the market-like shop called “Seijo Ishii Select.” It’s a small market with mostly imported or otherwise high-class foods, kind of like the Draeger’s supermarket back home in the S.F. Bay Area. I was surprised that they had relatively cheap cheddar cheese–just ¥300 for a medium-sized block–when other local shops like Daimaru Peacock charged twice as much for less. We also got a very nice cheesecake for just ¥300, very delicious–but they just told us that the product has now been discontinued. A shame and a relief. I tried some large (six-inch) pretzels for ¥500 yen; aside from being expensive, they were not very good at all. But there is loads of stuff I would have gorged on before I started losing weight, which I can only be sorely tempted by now.

Next is a string of bakeries, featuring mostly cakes, Japanese-style. These are usually ¥300 to ¥500 for a small wedge maybe three inches wide and four inches long. The shops’ names seem to be “Boutique Mont-Blanc,” “Grass Tiara” (no typo, it seems), and “Mariage.” Note that they are all “Patisseries,” as if they have some connection to France or something.

This string is topped off by a bakery–bread-themed, not cake-themed–called “Maison Kayser.” Again with the French. This place seems to have both a store front with a constant line of customers as well as a small cafe.

Across from Kayser is a wine shop and a meats shop. The wine shop seems decent though maybe 30-50% pricier than usual shops–though they do seem to have a much better selection in general, and good shop attendants as well.

Top off the line of shops with one more, on the corner across from Kayser:

It’s called “Rosenheim,” and seems to be a small branch of a shop that sells various meat products, in particular sausages and sliced meats. Like Seijo Ishii, they sell prosciutto and even Spanish Chorizo–but small amounts for very large prices. A 100-gram package with only half a dozen thin slices can set you back as much as a thousand yen (about $8). Still, Rosenheim sells a homemade “chorizo” sausage which, like 99% of “chorizo” sold in Japan, has no resemblance to Spanish chorizo–but Rosenheim’s version is still very good, with a very smooth, spicy flavor.

In short, the more I stay away from this row of shops, the better…