Some of my favorite places to get culinary inspiration in Japan are the prepared food counters in depachika (department store basement food halls).

The sheer variety of ready-to-eat foods in these underground spaces is bewildering, and the long lines that form in front of the most popular counters as people do their evening shopping speak to their popularity.

My special favorites in department store food halls are the counters that sell a variety of prepared dishes by weight. Competition is fierce between these sellers, so invariably their offerings are delicious. If money were no object, I might get something from these counters several times a week for dinner, but since they tend to be expensive, I often try to come up with my own takes on their creative offerings — which is how I developed the kabocha squash salad recipe below.