Fondly known as ‘Tenko No Daidokoro’, which translates to ‘The Nation’s Kitchen’, Osaka should be your one-stop destination in Japan if you’re on a gastronomic pilgrimage for some solid Japanese cuisine.
This food-focused metropolis is home to a plethora of delectable Japanese delights. From the humble street stall vendors selling piping hot takoyaki to the large restaurant chains that churn out plates of kaiten sushi, the vast variety of food here is sure to leave your stomachs hankering for more.
If you’ve been to Osaka or have done extensive research on it, you would probably have come across Kuromon Ichiba, a popular market that has been around for almost 170 years. Despite being a seafood market, the 580-metre stretch also has shops that sell fresh local produce as well as restaurants that serve up local cuisine.
A staggering average of 23,000 people visit Kuromon Ichiba a day and the market is said to not attract just tourists, but locals too. However, over the years, does the place continue to be an accurate representation of a Japanese seafood market or has it slowly evolved into just another tourist trap?