Enjoy a Taiwanese Atmosphere in Osaka? Shopping and Dining at 'Shennong Life' in Abeno Harukas

📍 Osaka · 👁 3747 reads · ❤️ 18 likes

jQuery17108391786997921933_1645879475250jQuery17104273381936914864_1645881321894jQuery17105519421668582991_1645881350248(Hello everyone)! I'm Nulek from Thailand. I've been in Japan for 5 years and am learning Japanese.

I absolutely love delicious food and cute things! In Osaka, you can find many things I adore. Today I went to the 10th floor of the department store 'Abeno Harukas' next to Osaka Metro Tennoji Station, where I heard a shop with Taiwanese food and cute goods had opened.

Taking the escalator to the 10th floor, I saw right in front of me the popular Taiwanese food and miscellaneous goods boutique 'Shennong Life'.

Taiwan's lifestyle store 'Shennong Life'

This shop is also popular in Taiwan. I wonder if anyone who has traveled to Taiwan has visited it?

The store interior is stylish, filled with ingredients and daily necessities familiar to Taiwanese people—products that are popular across generations. Inside, neatly arranged shelves are lined with food packaged as cutely as miscellaneous goods.

Look! The lineup is impressive, isn't it!?

There are this many types of soy sauce alone.

Here is Shennong Life's own brand, a seasoning series made from fish and shellfish. Golden caviar sauce and premium scallop sauce (scallop sauce)—just hearing the names makes me feel it's very savory. They can be eaten directly, used in stir-fries, or mixed with rice. Truly versatile seasonings. It's said they are among the most popular items in this store!

And then this! A spicy bean paste combining Korean-style chili paste and doubanjiang. I did a double take—162 yen! What a steal! It's said to have come from Sichuan, China, to Taiwan, and with just this one seasoning you can make delicious mapo tofu. I must grab it!

Many instant ramen and cup noodles look delicious. I like a slightly spicy flavor!

Speaking of Taiwanese specialties, I must mention this pineapple cake. So many varieties, I couldn't help but get overwhelmed choosing. Each one looks tasty?

There are also jams, honey, fruit-scented Taiwanese beer, goji berries, and dried fruits. Truly, Taiwan is a fruit paradise! There are so many fruit-based products—awesome!

Here is the Taiwanese skincare brand 'Yuan' product area. Including soaps made from natural ingredients like pesticide-free herbs, they feel gentle on the skin.

Look! The miscellaneous goods are super stylish too~. There are many elegant and delicate items, just looking at them is enjoyable!

Beautiful cleaning tools made from natural materials. They give a sense of refined living from the old days. I'd hate to actually use them. I want to display them as decorations.

There are also tableware, glasses, and the retro electric pot 'Tatung Electric Pot'. The design is simple but charming, so cute.

Vibrant crafts all give a Taiwanese feel. Hang this lantern and the atmosphere instantly becomes bright and lively.

Among the miscellaneous goods, the most popular is this eco-bag made from nylon fishing net. It's said to be called 'Grandma's Louis Vuitton' in Taiwan. (Laughs) Of course, it also features the 'Shennong Life' logo. How about grabbing one while shopping?

After enjoying shopping, I went to 'Shixi', right next to 'Shennong Life', where you can taste Taiwanese home-style cuisine. This restaurant is operated by Shennong Life and is said to be popular at the main store in Taiwan.

After seeing so many ingredients at 'Shennong Life', I only craved Taiwanese food. With such a varied menu, what should I choose?

*The menu may change with the seasons.

Since it's cold now, I chose the staff-recommended Taiwanese-style vegetable steamed soup pot (1320 yen).

The set comes with two small side dishes and salad—very considerate. Let me start eating.

The soup contains lotus seeds, wood ear fungus, goji berries, yam, pumpkin, and rare bamboo fungus, along with 10 types of vegetables and ginger. It's warm and heartening. The taste is mild, reaching deep into the heart. I heard this soup often sells out, and after tasting it, I completely understand why.

For a palate cleanser after the meal, I chose the very photogenic rose roselle soda (660 yen). The subtle rose fragrance and the sourness of roselle make a perfect combination. The lemon sorbet with ice cream is also refreshing. The glass with the Shixi logo is cute too.

Of course, there's always room for dessert?.

I ordered the hot grass jelly (692 yen). In my hometown Thailand, grass jelly is always served cold, so I didn't know it could be made into a hot soup. It contains mochi balls, taro balls, and tapioca pearls, with peanut toppings for texture. It's delicious when hot, and when it cools a bit and the grass jelly starts to set, the thick texture is also great. Taiwanese food for me has a homey taste, always familiar and nostalgic.

Then I went to the tea boutique across the way, 'Oolong Market Tea Market', which gathers popular teas from all over Taiwan. It's filled with tea leaves, exquisite tea sets, snacks, and more.

The store has about 100 types of Taiwanese tea, many not commonly seen in Japan. The tea snacks are also abundant, and the mooncake patterns are very cute. Many teas not only taste great but also look beautiful. They make excellent gifts for that special someone. The shopping basket is also adorable—I got excited. Strolling with the basket, I slowly searched for my favorite tea.

The shop also has a tea salon where you can sample to find the tea you like.

I took the staff's advice and chose a tea they recommended.

The staff brought out a honey-scented black tea with notes of honey and peach. Of course, there was also a cute heart-shaped mooncake. The small tea sets laid out lifted my spirits.

The staff carefully explained the tea and brewing method, and I grew more excited about the tea's flavor! Turn the hourglass over, wait 1 minute, and the tea is ready. Then pour the brewed tea into a vessel called a fairness cup (chahai). Doing this is said to even out the tea's concentration and temperature.

So fragrant... A fruity, sweet aroma spreads. My heart calmed and relaxed. In the end, I was able to conclude this wonderful time with Taiwanese tea.

● Come and experience the Taiwanese atmosphere!

Still craving the Taiwanese atmosphere, the next day I used ingredients bought at 'Shennong Life' to enjoy Taiwan at home. Qiong sauce noodles with spicy bean paste made into minced meat with bean sprouts—a spicy Taiwanese-style noodle dish was complete! The Sichuan peppercorns gave a numbing spiciness, truly authentic Taiwanese flavor. The meat made with spicy bean paste tasted very authentic—super satisfying!

While in Japan, you can enjoy authentic Taiwan at 'Shennong Life'. The shop is conveniently located inside Abeno Harukas, so feel free to drop by when sightseeing nearby!

*Masks were temporarily removed only for taking photos.

▼ For more information, see the comments below.

Travelogue Table of Contents

1. ● Taiwan's popular lifestyle store lands in Japan! 2. ● 'Shixi' for authentic home-style cuisine 3. ● Tea boutique 'Oolong Market Tea Market'