Japan 2018: Let's go to Osaka & Kyoto (Pt. 2 - Dotonbori)
DAY 5
DOTONBORI
Oh god, how do I describe this area? If I had only one word, maybe amazing? This place man, I don’t know if other people would say it’s overrated but I would have to say you DEFINITELY have to come here, walk around, and experience it all. There’s a lot of food, shops, lights, sounds and people! The whole thing is insane - I love it!
There are multiple long streets and small alley ways with TONS of different food: sushi, okonomiyaki (people call it the Japanese pancake - but its a base of cabbage), takoyaki (battered ball with octopus), deep fried skewers, dango… the list really does go on and on. And you can find shops for clothing like Uniqlo, shops for shoes like ABC Mart, souvenir shops, luxury stores if you’re into that kind of thing and again… so much more. There aren’t many places to have a seat here so remember to wear your comfiest shoes or your feet WILL die.
One of the many mascot characters on the shop fronts
The famous Glico man of Osaka! (the company that makes Pocky - you will see a lot of people taking photos here mimicking his pose)
I did a lot of walking - up and down the many streets and alleys scanning around to see what I wanted to eat. There is a lot to eat and not enough space in my stomach, so I had to choose carefully. Plus, if you didn’t remember, I went solo so I didn’t have friends or family to share with.
One thing I knew I had to try right away was takoyaki. It’s a piece of octopus that is surrounded by a savory, ooey batter - its DELICIOUS. I went the shop that had a huge octopus at its store front, you can’t miss it!
How they make it
Takoyaki!!
It’s extremely hot so be careful but the inside is savory, melt in your mouth, tangy, creamy and the octopus adds the chewy texture - it’s addicting. The batter is made from dashi - which is usually made of kelp, anchovies, and bonito flakes (fish that is smoked and shaved), green onions, pickled red ginger and tempura scraps - umami bomb. And it’s topped with the bonito flakes, nori (seaweed), Japanese mayo, and, takoyaki sauce (which is Worcestershire-like). If there wasn’t so much different foods to try, I would have ordered it again. Seriously, you have to try it! I paid about 700 YEN (~$7 USD) for 8 of them.
This particular place also had a “museum set” where half the balls had ham and cheese inside as well, if that’s your fancy.
I found out that my sister happened to also be in Osaka during this time, so I met up with her and her friends and we walked around the shops a bit and tried some more food.
Okonomiyaki
Assorted deep fried skewers
We went to a shop that sold a bunch of different foods. I had just eaten the takoyaki and my sister and her friends had just eaten too, so my sister and I decided to order a few things just to try.
Okonomiyaki is often said to be the Japanese version of a savory pancake but I find them totally different from one another. I think the Japanese word literally translates to ‘whatever you like’ because in specialty stores there will be a huge variety of toppings: seafood, pork, beef, vegetables… The base is a bit of batter mixed with cabbage. Many places will cook it for you and bring it to the table, where it will have a hot plate build into it, which allows you to eat it hot! Also, some shops will just bring the ingredients out and let you cook it. My sister and I both agreed that this wasn’t our favourite… we got it with mixed seafood and it was just ok - not our cup of tea.
Next, was the assorted deep fried skewers. There was shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, and scallop. Again, this wasn’t really our favourite. It’s sort of what you expect - things that are deep fried (and there was sauce). We paid just under 2000 YEN for both of these.
After a bit of a walk, my sister was like, ‘have you tried Cremia yet?” I was like… no? What is that? And she began RAVING about this soft serve ice-cream. I have to preface this by saying, no, I don’t really enjoy ice cream… Wow WTF Thomas, how do you not like ice cream? Are you insane?! I mean maybe? I try to avoid dairy because my body doesn’t react well to it (not lactose intolerant). So I thought, I mean I’ll try it but I don’t see what there is to rave about soft serve. But oh was I in for a surprise… Cremia is AMAZING. It’s something you’ve NEVER experienced ANYWHERE and I can guarantee that. OMG Thomas, what’s so special about soft serve? I can get that anywhere… Uhh no, Cremia is a totally unique experience. It’s deliciously milky and creamy and it’s super soft. Also, one of the best parts is the cone is a cookie biscuit that brings the flavour/experience/taste to a whole other level. 10/10 must try - I guarantee you will start craving it again throughout your trip.
Half vanilla, half chocolate cremia soft serve
It’s so delicious and magical it deserves the image deserves to be as it is! Though don’t mind my crusty, rusty, ashy hands and fingers. Especially that thumb… omg ew (when I get nervous or stressed, I pick my fingers - stop judging me).
Since my sister and her friends hadn’t seen Osaka castle yet, they had planned to go but she did tell me that they were going to go to a Japanese BBQ place with a set menu for dinner later and I agreed to meet up at the restaurant once they started heading. So we parted ways temporarily.
I walked the streets and did a bit of shopping - I tried to buy things that you could only get in Japan. I won’t leave any pictures but if you’re curious, I bought some Japanese exclusive Adidas NMDs and a bag from Master-piece. By this time, my feet were dead - I had been walking the whole day. The only time I sat down was when I had the okonomiyaki and skewers with my sister…
It wasn’t too long before my sister said she was done but I swear she told me when she was 10 minutes away from the restaurant and I was 30 minutes away… so I had to book it (AND my ankles were hurting like hell). I think the funny thing was and I never told her this but anytime you KNOW you're no where close and the person keeps asking how far you are, you always say something less. When my sister told me she just got there and was about to walk in, I was like oh no worries I’m only like 5 minutes away - I was actually 20 minutes away at this point. From where I was, to the restaurant, the train system didn’t really cover them so I had to walk there. I half walk-ran because I was not about to break my ankles to get to the restaurant when I was already late, you know? (lol) Don’t worry though, I got there in a decent amount of time - no one had to wait forever.
We had Japanese BBQ at a restaurant called Tsurugyu (in Osaka of course, here is the address: 3 Chome-5-14 Kawarayamachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0066, Japan). We all got the set meal that costed approximately 7000 YEN a person (~$70 USD) which came with a variety of different cuts of beef and a bowl of cold noodles. If you just look at the amount of meat you get, you’d probably think it wouldn’t be enough to fill you up but the meat is quite fatty! I don’t have amazing pictures because it was dark in there, for ambiance or whatever (lol)…
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what cut of meat these were because I forgot. Also, this is not all of it. I tried to really be in the moment because this type of thing is for the experience and really enjoying your meal. Certain things were meant to be eaten with others; like eating it with crispy garlic pieces, a small salad, or a variety of different dipping sauces.
If you check rating sites for this restaurant, some people say the staff is rude. I didn’t find any of the wait staff particularly rude in anyway… but the chef/cook who helped us with cooking the meat was just a little rude… he was VERY particular on the order of cooking each meat, how you cook the meat, and for how long it should be on the grill. At times, he would come and look at us angrily because we put too much on the grill or we didn’t cook one type of meat before another. In no way am I being judgmental here - none of us knew how to speak Japanese nor is the Japanese culture ingrained in us, so we definitely didn’t completely understand him. The funny thing and the thing that made this whole experience more stressful was because my sister and her friends booked one of the last (if not the last) shinkansen rides back to Tokyo - I had already decided to stay the night because I had only bought a ticket to Osaka from Tokyo - and they were running short of time. So we were trying to cook and eat fast and by the end, they had to leave or they were going to miss the train. So, I was left to finish and pay the bill.
Overall, the food was a solid 8.5/10. It was very delicious, however I feel there could have been better. The service I would have to agree with others’ reviews… 5/10 - wasn’t horrible but if I’m paying this kind of money, I expect just a little better service (maybe this makes me sound entitled? but hey, I am paying for it and I do want to say none of us were rude whatsoever).
My day is now coming to an end, just before dinner, I actually Googled and booked a night at a capsule hotel near Arashiyama. Since this post is pretty long already, I’ll be making a pt. 2.5 on my experience in the capsule hotel and provide the few photos and “tour” videos I have. Hope you enjoyed my food adventure, please let me know what your favourite eat was in Osaka or if you haven’t been, let me know what you’re most excited to try! See you next time.
-Thomas