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“It’s like if Blade Runner was happy.”
I don’t know if there’s a better description than my husband’s of Dotonbori, a neon-lit, canal-side tourist hotspot in Osaka. Gaudy, glitzy and packed with throngs of foreigners sampling street food, it was a total surprise and a fun way to spend an evening in Osaka.
We had just come from visiting serene temples and forested shrines during a half-day visit to Nara. Popping out of an alleyway after departing the Namba station, we found ourselves dwarfed by neon lights, giant foods that served as restaurant signs and a shimmering canal packed with literal boatloads of tourists.
We’d come hungry. Dotonbori is well-known for its street food scene, so we dug right in.
Osaka-style takoyaki is a twist on the popular fried octopus balls. These came with chopped spring onions, a healthy dose of mayo and ultra-thin bonito flakes, so delicate they warped in the heat from the octopus. This stand, located somewhere along a northbound covered shopping street leading to the canal, got an A+.
We approached the canal and let our eyes wander over the scene. Cheap street food beckoned from every corner, and we loaded up on skewers, crab legs, dango and vegetables fried every which way.
Any and all streets will have good food—just try searching “okonomiyaki” on Google maps in the area, and you’ll see how I despaired just now trying to find the “one” we ate at.
The fact that the “one” evades me is tough, because I would recommend it in a heartbeat. We were whisked up three tiny floors to a table with a hot grill. I ordered a whiskey highball, defined as Dotonbori-style: It came extra-sweet and with a stick of Pocky. Our okonomiyaki appeared before us with a spatula to divvy out slices. Packed with crab and doused with more mayo and bonito flakes, it was the perfect way to end a day of eating around.
Bring your appetite, lots of change and cash, and enjoy.
