The Nostalgic Charm of Ura-Tennoji: So Happy to Eat Through Osaka's Izakayas!

📍 Osaka · 👁 6422 reads · ❤️ 25 likes

Mid-October should technically be autumn, but it was still very hot until recently, with many places reportedly setting record high temperatures for October. Then towards the end of October, it finally started feeling like autumn, nice and cool. The state of emergency for COVID-19 has also been lifted, so we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now it's about continuing with COVID precautions and fully enjoying Osaka's autumn.

So I quickly called my friend Xiao Yin.

Li: "Xiao Yin! Let's go drink some beer together!"

Xiao Yin: "Oh! We haven't seen each other since the summer haunted house. I know a place you'll love. Let's do a 'ladder drinking' tour!"

The place Xiao Yin confidently told me about was Tennoji! But with the prefix 'Ura'—Ura-Tennoji.

I had no idea about that!

So we agreed to meet at 5 PM. Ura-Tennoji is about a two-minute walk north from Osaka Metro's Tennoji Station. It seems Ura-Tennoji refers to the area around the Hanwa Shopping Street.

(Note: 'Ladder drinking' means moving from one bar to another, drinking at each place.)

Wow! From the entrance, it already felt deep, or rather, very Osaka-like. The lights and wires in the arched ceiling were exposed, the utility poles had a nostalgic feel. There were a lot of people, and we couldn't help getting excited.

Xiao Yin! A long-awaited fun night out—let's keep our voices down and just show our excitement through body language.

This shopping street is definitely not spacious, but it's packed with many izakayas and other shops. Some shops left a strong impression with their red lanterns, while there were also trendy bars. The blend of old and new was great! I love this kind of vibe.

● Hundreds of unique dishes! — 'Tanayoshi'

Xiao Yin said there was a place we had to go, so he led the way, but what made us stop in awe was this shop called 'Tanayoshi'. There were dozens, even hundreds, of paper menu slips! So cool!!

This is Osaka, right? I've eaten a lot of great food since coming to Japan, but many of the dishes on this menu I hadn't just not tried—I didn't even know their names. Could all of Japan's cuisine be gathered here?

Wow wow wow! They even had insect dishes. My curiosity was overwhelming. Xiao Yin! Let's go inside. Inside, there was an L-shaped counter and customers standing and drinking. A sprightly auntie greeted us, 'You're Korean guests, right? Welcome! Have a drink outside first,' and quickly sprayed us with alcohol. We immediately ordered draft beer and clinked glasses☆

Then we ordered the auntie's recommendation: 'Turtle Claw'. Actually, this exists in Korea too. I felt I'd had it before in Japan, but we ordered it anyway. Waaaah. Really! So bizarre! It looked like a turtle claw, or a dinosaur claw. The taste was unexpected. A hint of shellfish? Crab? A seaside fragrance—really delicious.

After the delicacy, we had to get a classic order of fried chicken. Popped one in my mouth. It really goes perfectly with beer.

● Tasting 'Abeno Harukas'!

When we asked the auntie what the shop was most famous for, she brought out something called 'Harukas'. As soon as we saw it, we couldn't help laughing! It was the Tennoji landmark 'Abeno Harukas'! So tall! Pouring chili-tomato sauce from the top and eating it open—inside was hot potato salad, like a spring roll. 'Abeno Harukas' went straight into my belly.

Stop, stop, we had to stop. Today we were doing 'ladder drinking'. We needed to move on to the next shop. We vowed to come back another time to savor things slowly, took a commemorative photo with the auntie. The aunties in Osaka are always smiling and warm, really heartwarming.

● Exciting Exotic Flavors: Asian Cuisine at 'Typhoon Restaurant'

The next shop was 'Typhoon Restaurant'! We went up from the entrance to the second floor. Ah! Super Southeast Asian vibe, with the aroma of spices in the air.

It felt like they were going for a street stall feel, with colorful plastic chairs that were cute. The shop's concept is 'Cuisine from countries hit by typhoons,' so you can enjoy Taiwanese, Thai, and Okinawan dishes. The exotic atmosphere is great!

I ordered Thai Leo beer, Xiao Yin got Taiwan Beer. Considering how much we could eat at that point, we only ordered the second most popular item: 'Salted Pork (Okinawan pork cured with salt) Vegetable Rolls'. At this shop, I'd like to come with a big group, share various dishes, and try different flavors.

● Cheap and Fresh Seafood! Very Popular 'Sushi Center'

We ended our bar hopping tour with the sushi Xiao Yin most wanted! We went to 'Sushi Center', a very popular spot where you can enjoy seafood and sushi at affordable prices. Actually, we had checked it out first thing, but the line was long, so we decided to come last. Great! No more waiting now.

The counter seats were full, so we sat at a table. We kept social distancing as required!

It was just past 8 PM. Most of the ingredients were already sold out. So sad. The menu names here were really fun. Many names caught our interest! Plus, you can take out. Lots of drink choices too—tough to decide.

My beloved ark shell clams were miraculously still available to order—so lucky! This place is directly run by a fish shop, so the ingredients are very fresh, and the taste is impeccable. Plus the value is great—it's like a place to treat yourself.

Ah, so satisfying! Starting from 5 PM, we visited three shops in a row and it was 9 PM. Xiao Yin and I were so focused on eating that we didn't take many photos. So much fun. I feel so fulfilled♪ Ura-Tennoji is a place full of Osaka atmosphere, definitely worth visiting. Xiao Yin! Let's go again next time.

※ Due to the COVID-19 situation, please check the shop's status, business hours, and regular holidays before visiting.

※ Masks were temporarily removed only for photography.

▼ For more information, please see the comments below.

Table of Contents

1. ● Autumn is here! Let's step out with COVID precautions!

2. ● Deep into Ura-Tennoji: A pilgrimage of izakayas!

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