Last Updated on November 24, 2023 by Nouman kaleem
In mid-November, the mornings and evenings are cold, but the daytime is warm and sunny, and Osaka is bustling with tourists everywhere, of course, there is also the momentum of the “Welcome to Osaka Campaign 2022” and “Go To Eat OSAKA.”
But seeing foreign tourists pulling big suitcases makes me happy.
Most people wear masks, and I’m happy they follow Japanese etiquette to enjoy their trip. It’s been two years since I’ve seen this kind of scenery. I was waiting!
■Osaka Temma★Japan’s longest shopping street, is a mecca for hopping sake
Tenma is a usual gourmet spot of Deep Osaka with many restaurants around Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, the longest in Japan. You can drink alcohol from noon, and it’s cheap and delicious!
We will introduce 5 carefully selected izakayas, from standing izakayas that are perfect for “hopping sake” to izakayas that you can drink slowly while soaking yourself up, and after all, lively public izakayas.
*To prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, there is a possibility that the business hours will be changed or closed depending on the store. Please check the official website when you go out.
■Overwhelmed by Ura Temma Lantern Street lanterns, which look great on Instagram!
A 3-minute walk from JR Temma Station, you will see a sign that says “Temma Market” in large letters.
If you step forward and look up at the sky, you will see lanterns hanging all over.
You will surely be overwhelmed by its nostalgic atmosphere.
At night, more than 1,000 hand-made paper lanterns are lit up in bright red, orange, and yellow colors, making it a popular photo spot for taking photos on social media.
There seems to be a jinx that “Heart♡” is hidden among the many lanterns and the person who finds it will be happy.
The area around here is called Uratenma, and it is also a sacred place for sake lovers. First, open your arms under the lanterns and take a selfie in the excitement of the festival, then start the izakaya tour♪
■From here, we will introduce 5 selected restaurants in Tenma.
01.SURIMIDelicious! “Kamaboko Specialty Store Yao Kamaboko”
An izakaya specializing in fish cakes where you can eat freshly fried kamaboko, located in a back alley in the middle of Tenma Market and the shopping street.
It’s a popular store with a waiting time, so we recommend going early.
The inside of the store has a long-established atmosphere, but there are many couples and female customers, and the atmosphere is peaceful.
First, I ordered the standard Hiraten.
The juicy minced meat is exquisite as if to say, “There’s fish in it!”
Don’t think it’s just kamaboko with a taste that will impress you.
The shop’s push menu, “Houffe de Royale,” is a kamaboko that looks round.
When you break it open, the soft-boiled yolk melts inside.
If you eat this doro mixed with piping hot kamaboko and potatoes, you will surely vow to visit again!
Come to think of it. It seems that Japanese kamaboko is known overseas as “surimi.”
Plenty of creative menus have evolved kamaboko, so we definitely want foreign tourists to try them too!
02. Poking meat while standing and drinking! “Dengeki Hormone Tsugie”
A standing yakiniku restaurant with a bright red signboard just after passing through the bar arcade of Temma Station.
There are always 30 types of offal available, and the meat is very fresh because they purchase only the amount they will use that day.
Dengeki Hormone Tsugie has been selected as one of the top 100 yakiniku restaurants announced by Tabelog (2020).
Rather than eating a lot of meat, it’s easy to enjoy yakiniku alone while poking at the charcoal grill at the counter. Let’s Yakiniku!
03. Tenma’s famous restaurant, a popular bar “Odanna”
The north side of Temma Station, where the kamaboko specialty store Yao Kamabokoten and Dengeki Hormone Tsugie are located, feels like an izakaya heaven. Still, there are recommended shops on the other side (the station’s south side).
A large noren curtain flutters on the road of the shopping street, halfway between JR Temma Station and OsakaMetro Ogimachi Station. There are 50 seats inside, including counters and tables. The atmosphere of a lively public izakaya is exciting.
The menu ranges from fresh fish to sake dishes, teppanyaki, deep-fried food, and “Obanzai”.
There are a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, including Japanese sake, and this one shop is enough to make you feel comfortable, so you might not want to go bar-hopping. It’s no surprise that it’s a hotly contested izakaya, and it’s bustling with the active customer service of the staff!
04. Osaka Kushiage! The strongest “Seven Lucky Gods.”
A popular Kushikatsu restaurant in the Tenjinbashisuji shopping arcade.
80s popular songs are playing in the store, and a Showa feels like a quaint Western restaurant (I don’t know the Showa era).
The Kushikatsu menu on the wall is reasonable, with more than 50 variations.
The lunch menu is also abundant, and the first cup of Namachu is 100 yen, so I drink it from noon.
Crispy kushikatsu with miso sauce. Of course, it goes great with beer!!
05. Impressed by delicious sake and appetizers “Sake Fuku”
The four stores we’ve introduced are located near Temma Station on the JR Loop Line or Ogimachi Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line. Still, the last one we’ll introduce is a sake specialty izakaya located on a quiet street on the east side of Osaka Tenmangu Shrine.
The nearest station is JR Tozai Line “Osaka Tenmangu Station” or Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line “Minamimorimachi.”
It’s about 20 minutes on foot from JR Temma Station. Tenma is quite large.
Well, let’s talk about the shop.
There are only 8 seats at the counter and 1 table, but the building is like a storehouse, and the ceiling is high, so it feels like a space for adults to enjoy sake slowly. Sake is lined up with brands from all over the country, from north to south. If you’re unsure which one to choose, asking the owner might be a good idea.
The cuisine is centered on nibbles that go well with sake.
You can feel the depth of the restaurant in the seasonal dishes made with seasonal ingredients.
The recommendation is the “Omakase Sake Sake Assortment of 8 Kinds”. Cheesecake goes well with Japanese sake! Cheers while nodding ☆
Tenma is one of Osaka’s most famous drinking districts, known only to those in the know, and has been stamped with a stamp of approval as an area where you can enjoy izakaya hopping. Even businessmen who come to Osaka on a business trip stop by here.
The number of young people and women has recently increased, becoming an area where various people gather.
The fact that JR Osaka Station is just one stop away may be why it is so popular.
So, by all means, please come to Tenma and find your favorite shop!
