Street Food Feast in Dotonbori of Osaka, Japan
Dotonbori is a famous place in Osaka where you can find a great variety of Japanese street food. Some of the great finds here are the okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ramen and more!
After getting exhausted from locating our hotel, we felt the need to refill our energy. Hence, when we finally found Business Hotel Nissei, we just left our bags and immediately left for Dotonbori. Also, this time, we didn't need to worry about navigating our way to the place because we already got our mobile Wi-Fi (which we asked to be delivered to our hotel). Here in this blog post, I'll be taking you to a quick virtual tour, as well as share with you some of the food we had.
Dotonbori became famous as it provides an avenue for you to try various Japanese favorites in one location. Some say that you can find the "best" takoyaki here, but I guess that really depends on a person's preference. Tourists really flock the area indicating how popular the place truly is.
It was my first time to be in Japan (or to any place that goes below 12°C), and so it was both fascinating and "shocking" for me to experience such cold temperature (i.e. nearing 0°C). This is why despite all the covering I had on my body, I still felt the piercing cold.
Of course, I could never claim that I'd been to Dotonbori without taking this photo of Glico Man. It's very famous that it became the icon of Dotonbori.
During our first night, what we had was some ramen found in this corner. I cannot recall the name of the place (and if I did, I won't be able to type it here), but all I can share is this photo of the place with the dragon on top.
We unintentionally ended up in a ramen place because we just wanted something that could heat up our bodies. Anyway, this was also officially my first meal in Japan, and it was very much amusing how it works there.
This ramen we had costed us ¥600, and it was not bad for our first ever authentic ramen in Japan. However, even if I was able to enjoy it, I felt that I was still missing something.
At first, I didn't know how the machine works, so I just observed other people how they did it. Afterwards, I attempted to do it myself, and luckily it was a success!
Once you feed in the money, it will dispense a small piece of paper and provide you your change (if there are any). You'll be giving this small piece of paper to any staff, and they will serve you one bowl of ramen after about 3 minutes.
Admittedly, the soup was tasty with bold umami flavors; however, what I failed to appreciate was the thickness of the noodles (likened to a mami). Another strong source of flavor was the roast pork, although it was not as tender as it could have been. Overall, it was great with its hint of garlicky essence.
I would perhaps rate this ramen 6.5 out of 10. Here's a photo of me having a moment with the ramen.
Another place that we were able to try was this Takoyaki shop. Again, I cannot recognize the Japanese characters, so I won't be able to type it here. Anyway, we went for this one because it was the only takoyaki shop with queue.
All the takoyaki here in this restaurant is freshly cooked, and we were able to witness how fast they prepare the takoyaki. It was just amazing to watch.
Six (6) pieces of takoyaki here in this shop costed us ¥550.
These takoyaki balls were amazing due to its authentic feel (sweet and tangy), but it was semi-liquid inside which was not the way I wanted my takoyaki to be. Honestly, I don't know how it should usually be prepared, but I think I got used to the "takoyaki" here in the Philippines.
The last place we tried was this famous sushi along Dotonbori. We just saw this in Tripadvisor, and we thought that it would be nice to give it a try.
We ordered this tuna rolls which costed us about ¥1,056 (after tax), and it was undeniably fresh and exciting! The texture was just amazing, and I loved how flavors burst into the mouth.
Alright, so that's mostly about our Dotonbori experience, and I hope you found it somehow useful despite me not remembering the names of the food spots we visited.
Dotonbori (Japan) Quick Guide
Things to see/do: Indulge in various Japanese food such as ramen, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and more.
Budget needed: About ¥1,500 (appx. P620) to really explore multiple dishes and transportation cost if you are not staying nearby.
Is it wander-worthy? Definitely yes. You'll just love the street vibe as well as the food you can find along Dotonbri.
How to get there: You can reach Dotonbori by taking the Midosuji Line and stopping at the Namba Station. From there you can take a 5 minute walk going to Dotonbori. You may use the map below to locate the place and get a more detailed direction from Google Maps.
