This Japanese cultural embassy in the heart of Piccadilly serves as a department store featuring Japanese food, wine, books, curios and immediate travel without airplanes. It is also, for the record, the place to find the best value and most imaginative sushi in the British Isles. To embrace this greatness, wander down the unassuming staircase into the basement and you’ll come face-to-face with the most marvellous micro sushi factory fervently churning out a vast array of fresh offerings all day, every day. And while you’re underground, why not indulge yourself with a touch of free sake tasting in the wine cellar? Here, masterful shop assistants will furnish you with the delicate poison of your choice, but try not to fall foul of overenthusiastic free tasting—those plum wines, although bound to caress your palate with their sweet promises, will nonetheless kick your arse into next week if you go unchecked.

You’ll find a vast array of products you just can’t live without—as you’ll soon find out upon your initial visit. It’s one of the only places to buy authentic rice cookers, delicate Japanese teas, and hard-to-find elsewhere magazines all under one roof. Dedicate enough time to explore the Japan Centre in all its eclectic glory; it’s practically a whole country under one roof.