Osaka

Osaka is the third metropolitan area we’re visiting on our Japan tour and the second largest city in the country, behind Tokyo. It feels more casual than Tokyo and lacks the charm of Kyoto, but it is considered the foodie capital of Japan, so we couldn’t miss it. Ironically, perhaps, our first food experience was beer and fried chicken at the Kyocera Dome, and our second was pizza!

La Pizza Napoletano Regalo’s front door hides just 5 tables inside…

Where you find no one working but award-winning chef owner Tomohisa Niizoe taking orders, making all the pizzas, bussing tables and dealing with customers. But what a one-man show!

Not only is his pizza fabulous, Niizoe took second place in the World Pizza Championships in Naples in 2013, and this trophy on the wall is proof (no pun intended). We needed no proof after eating his pizza — it was delicious, or as they say in Japanese cho oishi.

Our after-lunch walk took us to the famous Osaka Castle, built in the late 1500s. With its moat, gardens and giant stone walls, it’s as grand as any in Europe.

The castle was rebuilt after it was burned by a rival shogun in a military battle not long after it first was completed.

The view from the castle is impressive, and although they are not in full bloom any more, the cherry trees still are beautiful.

This is Fumiko, standing with Hannah on the famous Dotonburi bridge in an area of Osaka known for its nightlife: bars, restaurants, shopping, pachinko and lots and lots of neon. Fumiko served as our guide for an evening tour of Osaka’s specialty foods. She was really nice and very knowledgeable, as we peppered her with questions all evening.

One of the many Buddhist shrines around which the commercial areas have been built. This one is beautifully covered in moss.

Buddhist and Shinto symbolism is built into the contemporary signage.

As for Osaka’s specialty foods, our least favorite was Kushikatsu, which is anything on a stick that is battered and fried. Not my cup of tea, but Hannah liked the onion kushikatsu.

Taking the silver medal in our Osaka food Olympics were takoyaki, which are also fried and on a stick. The tempura-like batter is made from egg, flour, dashi and chopped octopus. It’s a lot better than it sounds.

Takoyaki pans are like cast-iron muffin tins with indentations shaped like half-circles. The chefs turn the batter several times during the cooking process to form the round takoyaki.

And the winner is okonomiyake, which is part omelette, part pancake cooked on a tabletop griddle. The batter is mixed with shredded green cabbage and other ingredients of your choice (we chose shrimp), then topped with mayo and a barbecue-like sauce. Again, it may sound odd, but it was very tasty and filling — real comfort food. 

Finally, can you guess what this is? Leave your guesses in the comments.