Osaka Yakitori Food Experiences(2)

Spencer exceeded our initial expectations as our tour guide for the evening. The tour started a bit awkwardly, but Spencer’s eclectic knowledge helped spark conversations which connected us as a group. The tour started at the bridge overlooked by the popular Glico man where Spencer provided history on the origins of the company and mascot. At the first food stop, we had 4 different types of takoyaki which was the best we’ve ever had - piping hot crispy crust, decadent gooey insides, and juicy pops of chewy octopus. The tour continued through some cute alleyways where Spencer highlighted art work depicting the history of Osaka and a tiny shrine for the 1 inch-high samurai. The next food stop, which we never would have discovered on our own, was a quiet restaurant featuring homestyle cooking. Here we had tonjiru (pork-based soup), agedashi tofu, and a tsukune skewer. Spencer also bought us a round of drinks. We then walked through the busy streets of Dotonbori and marveled at the oversized mascots and kitschy decor above the restaurants. Spencer pointed out the restaurant where conveyor belt sushi was invented, which we went back to try later. The next stop was a busy izakaya packed with locals that would be intimidating for foreigners to enter unguided. We had 2 types of okonomiyaki, chicken karaage, and more drinks. We felt like we got a taste of being a local. Last was a taiyaki stall with hot fish shaped cakes - the perfect street dessert capping a fun night in Osaka!

This was an amazing tour. We are vegan and our tour guide was extremely accommodating.

Russ was a pretty fun guide for our first night out in Osaka. He exclusively speaks English so if that is something you would like definitely go for the tour. Good food and pretty good conversation throughout!

This was a great way to spend a few hours. Tami and Fumi were so friendly! Really knowledgable guides to help with our first experience ever making sushi. Not to forget that the food we made was so delicious! It was definitely worth the price.

Highlight of our Japan trip, definitely! My family and I are very glad we took this class, I think it was the best thing we did during our trip. Fumi and Tami were great teachers, a lot of fun to spend an evening with. Thank you for a great time (and wasabi!!)