Osaka: Dotonburi and Mizuno

We were both excited about staying in Osaka. Even after stopping in Kobe for grade A5 beef for lunch. Wouldn't you get excited about visiting a place whose love for eating is expressed with the term "kuidaore", which means to eat oneself until bankrupt, to ruin one's self with food? In other words....eat until you drop. But first we had to find our apartment. Upon arriving in Osaka we got kind of turned around in Namba Station. Eventually, we just took an exit. We had been instructed to find a taxi at the taxi stand....which proved to be a bit problematic since we didn't know where the heck we were. Seeing a parking lot attendant I asked....in very, very poor Japanese something along the lines of "Takushii noriba wa doko desu ka". The gentleman smiled and made a motion for us to stay jogged away and came back with a cab! There were a couple of these little interactions which led us to believe that folks in Osaka were a more friendly, more outgoing, fun loving, and they all went to the right side of the escalator instead of the left! Go figure. It was a bit of an adventure finding the apartment we were staying at. But we got there, freshened up, checked our location with the map left for us by the apartment's owner....that's the view from the balcony above.

We then headed off......to try and ruin ourselves with food. In Osaka, that meant finding Dōtonbori.

I'm not quite sure how many eateries and bars are located on this street parallel to Dōtonbori and all the arteries and arcades emanating from it; but it must surely number in the hundreds. Along with all the amazing signs it's truly sensory overload.

It gets more boisterous as darkness arrives and the crowds of tourists start mixing in with the locals.

And then there's the sign that I'd seen a hundred times; the mechanical crab that is the sign for Kani Doraku Honten.

This was Osaka and I had a short list of places; none of which were particularly fancy or expensive. The one we both really wanted to try was Mizuno. So there we were, pocket wifi going strong, knowing we were close. In fact there was that dot on the screen....but it seemed we kept walking around that dot. What the heck. Finally, we saw "Mizuno" actually written on a small sign in front of a restaurant, with a pretty good sized line.

Things move pretty quick. Within minutes we were seated behind the customers, menu in hand and placed our order. When seats opened up, they'd have our order, and things would get started rather quickly.

We had ordered the "Popular Set", which included three mini (though not so small) okonomiyaki; a yamaimoyaki, "mizunoyaki", and a negi yaki.

It was a blast watching these guys work.....

The Missus favorite by far was the yamaimoyaki. She loved the lightness, creaminess, and of course, the scallops.

I enjoyed the mizunoyaki (6 ingredients)....well, there's noodles of course.

We noticed that these were much lighter than what I've had here in the states.

We had a blast.

It was delicious and we seriously contemplated returning the next night.

Unfortunately, I think things have changed since we visited. Two people whom I recommended this place to had terrible experiences with surly staff (?!?), undercooked okonomiyaki, and there's now a "no photos" rule in place. Sad if true.....because I would want everyone to have the same great meal we had here.

Mizuno
1-4-15 Dotombori, Chuo-ku
Osaka

After dinner we walked around the area......checking out the bright lights. Just walking up and down the streets is entertainment itself. As the sun set, we could see the Salarymen headed for drinks, dinner, and possibly a long evening. This was fun.....totally different from the just as bright, but quite orderly and quiet Tokyo. Folks were out having a good time laughing and carrying on.

Right across the bridge and over the canal is the major shopping area known as Shinsaibashi. As crazy as Dotonburi was, it was even more packed here.

And as boisterous as we might say folks from Kansai are....they got nothing on the packs of Chinese tourists, whom you could hear loud and clear, and see cutting in front of folks standing in line. Crazy.... 

There was one shop the Missus just had to check out.......

It was a multi-floor shop full of dog accessories. The Missus was smitten. I was truly afraid She was going to buy something sweaters for Sammy and Frankie. Sheesh......

Man, I was getting tired.

It was time to head back.

I was starting to feel like this little guy.

We walked the half mile or so back to the apartment. And while we could make out the bright lights of Dotonburi from the patio, it was quite and peaceful. A world away from the crowds of Dotonburi....

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[kat]

definitely sensory overload in this area...

[Lynnea]

Osaka really is a fun city! =) we really enjoyed it as well!

[Kirk]

Totally Kat!

It sure is Lynnea!