Tag: Japan
Osaka, Japan – Day 14 * Sashimi: Final Bite in Osaka! By Mark Weins
1:16 Oden at Kuromon Ichiba Market – One of the things I wanted to eat before leaving Osaka was oden, a Japanese winter dish of different ingredients boiled in a light dashi stock soup. I found it in the Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場), and it was everything I had hoped for – warm, comforting and extremely soothing. If you’re looking to try a street food version of oden in Osaka, Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場) is a great place to try it.
3:53 Oretachi No Curry Ya (俺たちのカレー家)
Oretachi No Curry Ya (俺たちのカレー家) is a Japanese curry restaurant located very close to Namba station in Osaka. I was excited to eat there next, and I’m glad they were open. I ordered a katsu curry with an egg and a pile of green onions on top. It was excellent and very comforting.
Address: 14-13 Namba Sennichimae, Chuo-ku | Kawanishi Dai3 Bldg. 1F, Osaka 542-0075, Osaka, Japan
Open hours: 11 am – 9 pm on Monday – Friday, and 11 am – 10 pm on Saturday and Sunday
How to get there: Oretachi No Curry Ya (俺たちのカレー家) is located just on the east side of Nankai Namba station
6:40 Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses – 500 JPY ($4.15)
After a good lunch we took the train out to the Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses, a little trek from the center of Osaka, but definitely worth the ride on the train to get there. The museum showcases original farm houses from around Japan. I really enjoyed this museum, and would highly recommend it.
10:04 Torikara Stick – 240 JPY ($2) – After arriving back to Namba area of Osaka, we stopped for a quick chicken snack.
10:46 Marugame Seimen Udon (丸亀製麺 千日前店) – 640 JPY ($5.31) – We then decided to stop for a quick light early dinner and we ate at an udon chain restaurant. It was alright, not the best, but made for a good quick Japanese fast food udon meal.
12:41 Final Izakaya – and amazing sashimi platter in Osaka! – For our final meal and final bites of food in Osaka, we were just walking around the Namba area near the train station, and I wanted to find an izakaya that we could hang out for a bit to get some yakitori and sashimi. I’m not sure the name of the place we found, but they served us some more delicious yakitori, and an outstanding bowl of sashimi for our final bites in Osaka!
Osaka, Japan – Day 12 * Best Sushi So Far and a Quick Visit to Nara By Mark Weins
On Day 12 in Osaka, Japan, we decided to first take a quick day trip to Nara, a city that’s about a 45 minute train ride from Osaka. We then returned to Osaka, and had some of the finest sushi I had during my trip there.
00:27 Trip to Nara – Nara is an old and historical town in Japan, not far from Osaka and Kyoto. It’s very easy to get there by public transportation. The first thing you’ll notice as soon as you arrive to Nara are the deer – they are free roaming all over the city, and people love to interact with them.
2:48 Todai-ji Temple – 500 JPY ($4.17) – One of the biggest and most famous temples in Nara is the Todai-ji Temple, and although it was intensely busy, we decided to pay the entrance fee and go inside. It was good to see, but it was a very busy day that we visited.
4:09 Lunch at Happoh Restaurant (和食屋 八寶) – After walking around Nara for a while, we headed back towards the train station, and had lunch at a restaurant called Happoh Restaurant (和食屋 八寶). The food was alright, but not the best. We then took the train back to Osaka to do some shopping and eating.
6:15 Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai – Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai is the longest shopping street in Japan, and it goes on for something like 2.6 km. We got back to Osaka, and walked around this area, before eating some amazing sushi.
7:23 Harukoma Sushi (春駒 支店) – While walking around the shopping market, I noticed a line of people, all waiting for a turn to get into Harukoma Sushi (春駒 支店), a famous sushi restaurant in Osaka. I had researched this restaurant and had wanted to eat here, but I didn’t know when we were going to get there, or where it was – but we stumbled into it, and decided to go straight in line to eat there. The sushi turned out to be some of the best sushi I had in Osaka. It wasn’t fancy, but it was good quality, big pieces of sushi and fish, and it felt like we were at a fish market. Awesome sushi, good prices, and friendly service.
Osaka, Japan – Day 11 * Kushikatsu & the Juiciest Chicken in Osaka? By Mark Weins
On Day 11, we were back in Osaka after a quick trip to Kyoto, and we woke up to do some sightseeing, and to eat some more delicious Japanese food in Osaka.
00:23 Shitennoji Temple – To start our day in Osaka, we first headed over to the Shitennoji Temple, one of the oldest and most well known temples in Osaka. We walked around for a few minutes, but unfortunately the lookout point that I wanted to see was under construction, so couldn’t go inside, but it was still nice to visit.
2:19 Kushikatsu Daruma (串カツだるま) – The area of Shinsekai in Osaka is known throughout the city for a Japanese food called kushikatsu, a homegrown Osaka creation. One of the most famous restaurants is Kushikatsu Daruma (串カツだるま), and since there was no line, we decided to give it a try. I didn’t think I was going to like kushikatsu all that much, but I have to admit that it was pretty good – all sorts of deep fried items on stick, with a delicious dipping sauce.
7:08 Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社) – After kushikatsu and walking around the Shinsekai area for a while, we caught the tram to Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社) temple. One of the most famous things there is the bridge, which was beautiful. I would highly recommend visiting Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社) when you visit Osaka, Japan.
9:32 Conveyor belt sushi – For lunch we headed back to Osaka and to Namba Station, and we had a quick meal at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Plates were 129 JPY, and overall it was good. I think most people go for the quick sushi, and it’s pretty fun.
12:18 Dotonbori (道頓堀) – After doing some work back at our apartment for a few hours, we headed back out into Osaka, and did some walking around and sightseeing at Dotonbori (道頓堀), one of the most famous area of Osaka.
12:56 Osaka Ohsho – King of Gyoza – Before having dinner, we had a plate of gyoza at Osaka Ohsho – King of Gyoza, right in Dotonbori, which was pretty good.
14:05 Ikkaku (一鶴 心斎橋店) – For dinner we headed to a restaurant called Ikkaku (一鶴 心斎橋店), right in the Shinsaibashi area. They specialize in chicken, and they have both old and young chicken which you can choose from. We got both types of chicken, and I think the young chicken might have been the juiciest chicken in Osaka. It was amazing, a bit salty, but incredibly flavorful.
Osaka, Japan – Day 10 * Beautiful Fushimi Inari Shrine & Herring Soba Noodles By Mark Weins
After a tourist crowded day in Kyoto the previous day, Ying and I decided to get an early start to our day in Kyoto on this day and we woke up and headed straight to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine (Taisha) – which is most well known for its Japanese red Torii shrine gates.
00:18 Fushimi Inari Shrine – We started off at Fushimi Inari Shrine, and we luckily arrived early and beat the crowds – in fact there were only a few other people there when we arrived, it was so incredibly peaceful and quiet. I didn’t know we were going to climb then entire mountain, but when we started hiking up the hill, walking through the endless red Torii shrine gates, we just kept going and we decided to just make it up to the top – which was well worth it. The walk to the summit of Fushimi Inari Shrine was fantastic, but the real joy was getting there and enjoying the quiet peaceful outdoors. By the time we walked down to the entrance of the shrine, it was already getting busy. Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the best things to do in Kyoto, and it really is a must visit place.
4:21 Matsuba Soba Kyoto (総本家にしんそば 松葉 本店) – I had really wanted to eat a soba meal when we were in Kyoto, and so after we packed our bags we went to a restaurant called Matsuba Soba Kyoto (総本家にしんそば 松葉 本店), famous for serving local Kyoto style soba noodles. I ordered the herring noodles, which came with a bowl of soba noodles in clear broth with a side of fish that tasted like barbecue. It was quite good, very fresh tasting, and very good quality. It was a little expensive, but I enjoyed the experience.
8:16 Nishiki Market (錦市場) – One of the most famous places to walk around and eat in Kyoto is the Nishiki Market (錦市場), and though we didn’t have too much extra time, I did want to stop in for a bit to walk around before we left Kyoto. The market was great, so much good food throughout the walking street, and many of the vendors were also very friendly. I had a small fish on a chopstick, and that was my snack as we walked around the Nishiki Market (錦市場).
10:00 Kyoto back to Osaka – We took the train, and although our train was delayed by about 30 minutes, we made it back to Osaka smoothly, and we navigated our way to our new Airbnb apartment that we had pre-booked. Everything went well.
11:57 Dinner at a Japanese Diner – For dinner, we were all quite tired, so we just went to a simple Japanese diner restaurant just a short walk from where we were staying, and we had a nice simple Japanese dinner. I had the Oyakodon (親子丼), a chicken and eggs rice bowl.
Osaka, Japan – Day 9 * Kyoto Attractions & Japanese Tofu Meal By Mark Weins
00:20 Train to Saga Arashiyama – The Arashiyama area is home to some of the most famous attractions in Kyoto, and so we took the train there in the morning. Unfortunately it was a very rainy day, so instead of going straight to the temple we instead decided to have lunch to see if the rain would clear.
1:38 Kyoarashiyama Ine (嵯峨とうふ 稲 本店) – This is a very famous restaurant in this area of Kyoto, and I think they specialize mainly in tofu and most of what they serve is even vegetarian Japanese food – with the exception of some eggs I think. I ordered the, Nonomiya Set, which cost 1,950 JPY ($16.22). It included all sorts of different Japanese vegetarian dishes including all sorts of tofu and the famous yuba, Japanese tofu skin. I did enjoy the entire Japanese vegetarian tofu meal, but all the food was a little on the plain side for me. However, it was still very nice, the presentation was beautiful, and the quality was outstanding.
8:43 Tenryu-ji Temple – 500 JPY ($4.16) – After our Japanese tofu lunch we continued on to the Tenryu-ji Temple, and it was still raining, but not nearly as hard as before. The temple is known for having one of the oldest Japanese gardens, and so that’s what I was really interested in seeing. It was quite beautiful.
9:47 Path of Bamboo – Located in Arashiyama, near the Tenryu-ji Temple is one of the most picturesque places and attractions in all of Kyoto, the Path of Bamboo – it’s a pathway that leads through a bamboo forest. The scene is quite beautiful, and definitely a good place to take some photos and enjoy nature.
11:29 Kinkaku-ji Temple – One of the final things we wanted to do in Kyoto on this day was visit the Kinkaku-ji Temple, and so we took a series of buses to get there, which all worked out smoothly. The Kinkaku-ji Temple was incredibly busy, so it wasn’t nearly as nice as it could have been had it been quiet and peaceful.
14:10 Japanese Supermarket Dinner – Finally for dinner, we headed back to our area of Kyoto, and we stopped by at a supermarket and bought some things to eat back at home. It’s fun to eat at restaurants, but it’s also really fun to buy food from a Japanese supermarket and eat it as well – there are so many good things to eat.
Osaka, Japan – Day 8 *Tempura Rice Bowl in Kyoto By Mark Weins
On Day 8 in Japan, we traveled from Osaka to Kyoto. During the day, we enjoyed a couple of delicious meals, including a tempura rice bowl for dinner, and also went to a couple of temples in Kyoto.
00:33 Easy Lunch in Osaka – One of the budget ways to eat at restaurants in Japan is to eat cafeteria styles restaurants which typically serve a range of different Japanese foods. You walk inside, pay with the vending machine, and then you get your tray of food. I had the broiled salted mackerel, which was delicious and it cost 650 JPY for my meal.
3:16 Osaka to Kyoto – After lunch we said goodbye to Dwight (http://bkkfatty.com/), and we continued on to Osaka station, where we found our train to Kyoto. The train, on the JR Special Express Kyoto Line, took just 30 minutes from Osaka and cost 560 JPY. We arrived to a rainy Kyoto, and we decided to purchase a one day bus ticket for 500 JPY to be able to go around Kyoto and do some things.
6:03 Ginkaku-ji Temple (銀閣寺) – 500 JPY – Our first stop on our sightseeing tour of Kyoto was to visit the Ginkaku-ji Temple (銀閣寺), and after paying our entrance fee, we walked around. Even though it was crowded, it was really beautiful, and what really stood out to me were the gardens.
7:57 Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) – 300 JPY – After spending about an hour at Ginkaku-ji Temple (銀閣寺), we got back on the bus, and headed to another famous temple in Kyoto, this time Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺). It was extremely busy as well, but with a visit, and I enjoyed it.
10:49 Tempura Rice Bowl at Ginza Hageten – For dinner we headed back to Kyoto Station, since we needed to get there for transportation and also because our bag was there, and we stopped in the downstairs food area and found a restaurant called Ginza Hageten, serving tempera. I ended up ordering the tendon, a tempura rice bowl, which was delicious.
Finally, to end our day, we took the train to Fushimi-Momoyama Station, where we found our way to Maison Fushimi, where we had pre-booked a room.
Osaka, Japan – Day 7 * Incredible Ramen in Osaka By Mark Weins
On Day 7 in Osaka, we headed straight to eat one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve ever had in my life, and after that we ate okonomiykai.
1:20 Ramen Yashichi (らーめん弥七) – Just down the street from where we were staying, there was a ramen restaurant that Dwight took us to, called Ramen Yashichi (らーめん弥七). It’s a very famous ramen restaurant in Osaka, and from the moment they open their doors for lunch (and before), there’s typically a line waiting outside. We waited in line in anticipation, and finally got in and ordered. It turned out to be probably the finest bowl of ramen I’ve had, really incredibly good.
Ramen Yashichi (らーめん弥七)
Address: 3-4-8 Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
Open hours: 11 am – 4 pm on weekdays only (closed on Saturday and Sunday)
How to get there: Ramen Yashichi (らーめん弥七) is very close to Nakatsu Subway station. Once you exit the station, walk east, and the ramen restaurant is just before you reach the main highway.
6:03 Okonomiyaki Kiji (きじ) – After an incredible bowl of ramen, we headed over to the Umeda Sky Building where we went to a restaurant called Okonomiyaki Kiji (きじ) to eat one of Osaka’s most famous foods – okonomiyaki.
Okonomiyaki still isn’t my favorite food, but this was pretty good, and what I really liked about the restaurant is that the chef was extremely nice and friendly. A great place to try okonomiyaki when you’re in Osaka.
Okonomiyaki Kiji (きじ)
Address: 1-1-90 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku | B1F Umeda Sky Bldg., Osaka 531-0076, Osaka
Open hours: 11:30 am – 9:30 pm from Friday – Wednesday (closed on Thursday)
How to get there: Okonomiyaki Kiji (きじ) is located on the basement floor of the beautiful Umeda Sky Building. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Osaka Station.
For more information:
►Osaka Food Guide: http://migrationology.com/2015/09/osa…
Osaka, Japan – Day 6 * Kobe Beef! By Mark Weins
What’s in the video:
On Day 6 we took a day trip to Kobe… Kobe is one of those places that’s incredibly famous because of the beef they produce – which is considered to be one of the best beef destinations in the world. Just 30 minute by train from the center of Osaka, we weren’t going to miss it.
00:30 La Shomon (焼肉バル) – the Kobe Beef experience: I want to say that this meal was NOT sponsored in anyway (they didn’t even know I make video) – but Lauralee was just extremely kind. We started in Osaka, and took a train from Umeda station to Kobe-Sannomiya Station where we met up with Lauralee who graciously took us on an all day food tour of Kobe and the surrounding region. We didn’t even know we were going to get to sample Kobe beef until she invited us to her family restaurant, a place called La Shomon (焼肉バル) located in the Tarumi area of Kobe, about 30 minutes from the center of Kobe. We first met all the staff at La Shomon (焼肉バル), who were all really nice and friendly, and then came out the grill to our table. They presented us with a platter of the finest Kobe wagyu beef that I’ve ever seen in my life. The marbling action was just unbelievable. Lauralee grilled up the beef, piece by piece. The beef seriously, changed my life, it was so incredibly flavorful and ultimately juicy. In addition to Kobe beef, they also have dry aged Kobe beef, which was equally as unbelievably good.
11:56 Akashi Fish Market – After our life changing beef experience, we then bought tickets on the train to go to Akashi Fish Market, a lovely fish market village somewhere in Kobe. The market was a lot of fun to visit, and it was extremely friendly. One of the most famous things to buy and eat at Akashi Fish Market in Kobe is octopus, and
14:19 Akashi Yaki (たこ磯) – One of the most famous things to eat at Akashi Fish Market is something called Akashi Yaki (たこ磯), the regions version of takoyaki octopus balls. These are a bit different, and they are fried into ball shaped, but they are then eaten with soup instead of topped with ingredients. They were good, and made a good market snack.
17:16 Roushouki (元祖 豚饅頭 老祥記) – This is a well known place in Kobe’s Chinatown that serves steamed buns. They were pretty tasty.
18:06 The Sake Standing Bar – Walking around Kobe, we noticed on old school standing Japanese sake bar, and it had so much character we decided we need to step in. It indeed was an amazing experience.
22:17 Horumon BBQ (炭焼塩ホルモン『あ』) in Kobe – This time for dinner we didn’t have more Kobe beef, but we certainly ate some random beef parts in Kobe. Some of the interesting things we tried at this yakiniku spot were esophagus and the 4th intestines of the cow.
Osaka, Japan – Day 5 *Supermarket Sushi & Osaka’s Instant Ramen Museum By Mark Wiens
Here’s what’s in this video:
00:26 Supermarket Sushi – On Day 5 in Osaka, Ying and I walked around in the morning, but it was very quiet and not much was open, so we ended up going to the supermarket and buying some sushi at the supermarket. Even going to the supermarket in Japan is fun, because there are so many delicious foods to try and see. I had a box of sushi including a mix of piece for 598 JPY ($4.97). It’s budget sushi, but it’s still pretty fresh and not a bad deal if you’re on a budget traveling and eating in Japan.
3:53 Instant Ramen Museum (インスタントラーメン発明記念館) – We decided to go to the Instant Ramen Museum (インスタントラーメン発明記念館), because instant ramen originated in Osaka, Japan, and was started by Ando Momofoku. When I was a kid, I used to really love eating instant ramen, although I seldom eat it anymore. Nevertheless, it sounded pretty cool to visit. The journey from center Osaka took about 30 minutes or so to get there, and then it was just a short walk from the train station. The entrance to the Instant Ramen Museum (インスタントラーメン発明記念館) was free, but then they had paid for activities you could do.
7:45 Hakata Ippudo Ramen – Right down the street from the instant ramen museum was a chain ramen restaurant called Hakata Ippudo Ramen, and we actually had no idea it was a famous chain until stepping inside and reading the menu, because all the signs were in Japanese. I ordered the classic bowl of Momofuku Classic ramen. Overall, it was good, but basic.
10:43 Dinner at Home in Osaka – From the Instant Ramen Museum, we headed back to our apartment in Nakatsu, went to the supermarket again, bought some ingredients, and in order to save some money we decided to do some cooking at the house. Our fish head chanko nabe was pretty good!
Osaka, Japan – Day 3 *Melt-In-Your-Mouth Tuna Belly!!! By Mark Weins
Write Up By Mark Weins
Day 3 in Osaka was all about the tuna belly!
0:19 Osaka Castle – One of the most famous places to visit in Osaka is the Osaka Castle. The castle is within a giant park. We started the day off with a trip to the castle, and though we didn’t go inside, we walked around the park, and enjoyed the great views from the outside. It’s well worth a visit when you visit Osaka.
2:57 Camp Curry – After a long morning, we were really hungry, so we did a quick search and found an interesting restaurant right in Umeda Station called Camp Curry. The restaurant specialized in Japanese curry style dishes, all of which were fully camping themed and in style. The curry was a bit on the mild side, but it did taste pretty good because we were so hungry. Overall, not the best Japanese curry, but good for a quick meal when you’re in Umeda in Osaka.
5:57 Tuna Restaurant (Chayamamchi Maguroya (梅田芝田一丁目まぐろや http://maguroya-nakatsu.jp/) – After walking around Umeda and Osaka Station and doing some shopping at a camera store, we then headed to the northern part of Umeda station where Dwight knew about a izakaya style Japanese restaurant / bar that specialized in tuna. When we arrived the place was almost completely empty, but by the time we left, it was packed out and people were waiting for tables. We started off with some oden and some tuna belly (toro). The tuna belly was one of the most amazing pieces of fish I’ve ever had in my life. It literally just melted completely into my mouth – it started to liquefy without me even chewing it. We hung out at Chayamamchi Maguroya (梅田芝田一丁目まぐろや) for a few hours, and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and especially that melt in your mouth tuna belly!
That was it for Day 3 in Osaka, another delicious day of Japanese food. The highlight of my day was by all means that tuna belly!
Awesome Food in Osaka: Kuromon Market and Sushi By Mark Weins
Write up by Mark Weins
After surviving the surprise chicken sashimi, Day 2 in Osaka was an all out food day. We woke up kind of late due to our late arrival the night before and headed to Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場) to start eating. For lunch we had some incredibly delicious sushi!
0:28 Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場) – To begin the day we headed over to the famous Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場), located right near Namba station or Nippombashi (Nipponbashi). The market, although it’s a tourist attraction in Osaka, it remains very friendly, and I think it’s still a wonderful market – there are plenty of things to eat, and what I really liked is that many of the vendors that sell there or have restaurant are extremely friendly. We started off by eating one of the most famous foods in all of Osaka: takoyaki – fried octopus pancake balls. I’m not a huge lover of takoyaki, but these were actually quite good, mainly because they were fried so fresh. The outer part of the takoyaki was crispy and the inside was hot and had that nice mixture of half cooked pancake batter with a piece of octopus in the middle. Overall, one of the best takoyaki’s I’ve ever had in my life. We continued walking through Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場) and when Dwight and I saw scallops being cooked over charcoal on their half shell, and neither of us could resist ordering one on spot – despite them being quite expensive. The scallops were cleaned then put back into their shell and roasted over fire with just a hint of soy sauce and butter for extra flavor. It was marvelous. Still walking around Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場) I saw a store on the corner specializing in tuna, all things tuna. He had some plates of rolled up sushi, and they were filled to the max with red fleshy tuna, and I couldn’t resist again. The tuna was sensationally good, wrapped with rice and seaweed and such fresh and butter fish. You could spend a lot of money snacking through Kuromon Ichiba Market (黒門市場), but finally we needed some real food, a bigger meal, so we looked up a sushi restaurant in the area on Foursquare.
7:00 Toki Sushi (ときすし) – We arrived just before they opened at 5 pm for the evening, and they kindly invited us in as the restaurant opened. The menu was pretty simple, and I believe they did have both an English and Japanese menu. The staff were all extremely friendly from the beginning. At Toki Sushi (ときすし), I ordered the 12 piece sushi set, which came with 12 pieces of beautiful sushi on a wooden plate. Everything on my plate was delicious – all 12 pieces, and the entire plate cost 1,050 Japanese Yen, which is about $8.71 – I think that was a great deal for that quality and deliciousness of sushi in Osaka.
11:10 Dotonburi (道頓堀) – Happy full of sushi, we walked from the Namb area to one of the most popular and famous areas of Osaka called Dotonburi (道頓堀). We walked around for a bit, but didn’t eat there. Instead, we headed back to Namba and while walking around, we found a grilled pork restuarnat to try.
12:51 Yakiton Restaurant – Tayutayu Nambasennichimaeten (たゆたゆ 難波千日前店) – For our final meal on this epic day of food in Osaka, we were just walking along and found a grilled pork restaurant called Tayutayu Nambasennichimaeten (たゆたゆ 難波千日前店). Everything they served was pork, many of which were yakiton style – grilled pork skewers. But they also had some interesting other items on the menu. The meatballs were extremely good, as were all the different skewers.
Day 2 was an amazing food day in Osaka. There’s so many excellent restaurants in Osaka!
Read more :
https://migrationology.com/osaka-food-guide-japan/
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