Soul Food Tour After Dark: Osaka’s Backstreet Dining

Osaka is known as one of Japan’s eating cities, and what better way to bring out the foodie in you, than to explore Osaka's famous food street: Tenjinbashi! You might be familiar with Tenjinbashi from its appearance on Netflix’s “Street Food,” Osaka episode, but the area remains extremely localized, patronized mostly by locals. Fret not, however, as our local navigator will take you on a night tour around the large entertainment district, to bar and restaurant hop. If you are expecting fine dining experiences of Michelin standard restaurants, this tour is not it. Instead, we will bring you to explore the narrow alleys of Tenjinbashi for local hidden bars and restaurants that offer high quality “soul-foods” of Osaka, food that feeds your soul. We begin first with takoyaki, also known as octopus dumpling balls, a quintessential Osaka street food. With that as an appetizer, we will then have the opportunity to sample fresh sushi with a side of sake at our next restaurant. Wagyu beef follows after at the next restaurant, and we will get to grill delicious slices of meat at a yakiniku restaurant (Japanese BBQ restaurant). If you are still hungry, we top all of those foods off with a rich bowl of ramen, that is guaranteed to hit the right spot in your tummy. With 4 different places to visit for different Japanese foods, make sure you come with an empty stomach! But wait, there is more to Tenjinbashi than just food! As the longest shopping street in Japan, Tenjinbashi looks radically different during the day and at night. At night, the district is brimming with energy, as the night scene opens itself to locals coming to relax and enjoy themselves with good comfort food after a long day of toiling. Come experience life as a Japanese would, as we go forth and eat our way from one eatery to the next.