Seijo Ishii Lumine Shinjuku 2 Store — Supermarket in Shinjuku, Tokyo

Seijo Ishii Lumine Shinjuku 2 Store is one branch of the Seijo Ishii chain, set inside Shinjuku Station near the ticket gates. The shop is small, but the shelves carry groceries and bento alongside the chilled cases, so you can put together a meal or a gift without leaving the station.

The chilled chocolate cake is the thing to carry home: it melts in your mouth, and it holds up on a train ride. The cheesecake works as both a personal treat and a souvenir picked up on the way through Shinjuku Station. For something savoury, a three-pack of hand-rolled natto is bought for gifts as well as for yourself.

Mornings are when the prepared-food selection is at its fullest, which makes an early departure easier to provision. The shop is compact enough that a quick loop covers most of it, and the register moves smoothly when the store is not busy.

Spend lands around ¥1,000–3,000 for a basket, with the cakes and sweets pushing it toward the top end. If you are buying a cake, ask for it to be bagged before you leave the counter.

A cake may be handed over without packaging unless you ask. Those points aside, the location and the chilled desserts make it a practical stop for a traveler passing through Shinjuku Station.