CONTINUED OSAKA

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Start with takoyaki—balls of octopus and chips of green onion grilled in a soft golden batter. They’re cooked at small street stands. Look for ones with the longest queues, they’re usually the best ones. For 500 yen ($4.50 USD), you’ll get eight to ten pieces and maybe cheese melted on top, along with sweet mayonnaise, takoyaki sauce and a flurry of bonito flakes that dance quietly when sprinkled over hot food.

O-tako is a popular stall serving large portions of octopus in a secret sauce (1-5-10 Dotombori, tel: 06-6211-5223). The mouth-watering smorgasbord on display in Dotombori can leave you dehydrated. Grab a soft drink or bottle of iced green tea from any vending machine dotted throughout the area.

Lunchtime

For lunch try okonomiyaki (about 1,000 yen or $9 USD). Literally meaning “as you like it”, okonomiyaki is a thick pancake made of flour, eggs and shredded cabbage. It began in the 1700s as a miso paste-filled cake served in Buddhist ceremonies and became popular in the 20th century during food shortages.

Many okonomiyaki restaurants feature tables equipped with their own grill—a do-it-yourself form of dining. Mix and match toppings such as seafood, vegetables and meat. You can also add tofu, ricecake and cheese—and don’t forget the Korean staple, kimchi (a delicously pickled cabbage). One of my favorites is simply a mountain of green onions piled high and dangerously close to toppling over.

Where does this hearty food culture come from?

By the 19th century, 300,000 commoners outnumbered the 2,000 samurai in Osaka while in Edo, the former name for Tokyo, samurai made up half the population. Merchant enterprise flourished as a result. Commoners gained more political and economic autonomy which allowed them to build innovative and competitive markets.

Coupled with a budget-conscious philosophy, merchants helped develop a cooking style marked by good food at low prices. The city also enjoyed an abundant supply of fresh seafood from Osaka Bay and the Inland Sea and fine vegetables from fertile surrounding areas.

That’s how Osaka became the economic centre and “kitchen of Japan.”

For Tomoko Sonobe, a teacher from Gifu Prefecture who spent four years in Osaka as a student, Osakans are the most honest people in Japan.

“They don’t hesitate to say, ‘this food is mazui [tastes bad].’ They will say it to a restaurant owner and never come back.”

She says customers are always looking for better establishments, making owners respond with more delicious food and, she notes, atmosphere and décor are less important to Osakans in the dining experience than the food itself.

If you’re feeling bloated from lunch, visit the little enclave called America Mura on the other side of Midosuji Boulevard and browse the pricey vintage clothing and record stores. Meaning “American Village” in Japanese—this is Osaka’s take on American style.

Then, take a rest at nearby Triangle Park and watch the gaudy parade of teenage fashion victims.

Daytime gives way to a nightlife that sizzles as the city’s neon lights bounce off the Dotombori River. No need to leave Dotombori; at night, the area comes alive with party-goers.

Dinnertime—Irrashaimase!

Have dinner at an izakaya, a casual, rustic pub serving a wide array of dishes and drinks. Found all over Japan, service at izakayas is speedy, the food cheap and the beer plentiful. They are even better when having dinner in a group; the steady stream of conversation, food and sake easily makes an evening whiz by.

Servers and cooks shout orders in their swift and affable Osaka-ben dialect, while patrons are just as raucous and some look like they’re about to tumble over their plates from laughter or intoxication.

Here, menus are often illustrated with photos, so you’ll be sure of what you’re ordering. Try an Osaka specialty, thick udon noodles with white soy sauce. You won’t even need to figure out how many yens to leave, tipping isn’t practiced in Japan.

Bars and Clubs

Go bar-hopping and mingle with young Japanese and foreign staff at places like Bar Isn’t It? (1-38-11 Shinsaibashi-Suji, tel: 06-6120-3861), where food and drinks are only about 500 yen ($4.50 USD). There’s a door charge of 1,000 yen ($9 USD) but it includes two drink tickets.

After a drinking session, reenergize with a bowl of ramen (about 600 yen or $5.40 USD). The Chinese-style noodles served in a hearty broth are arguably the most consumed food in the country. Yes, you read right, sushi ranks lower.

Near Ebisubashi (bridge) is Kinryu, no more than a tatty wooden shed identified by a dragon on the red façade (1-7-13 Namba, tel: 06-6211-3999). But there’s no shortage of customers happily slurping soup. Eating is done standing up here, and the place is open 24 hours—perfect for a late-night snack while you wait for the trains to start at 5 a.m.

So what if you skipped the museums? Dotombori is well worth an amble for a glimpse of Osakan joie de vivre and a taste of culinary heaven.

Karen Shim has lived in Asia and Vancouver, Canada. She works in Toronto and hasn't found any places that serve ramen.

 

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