THROUGH AN UNBLINKING black eyeball, a 20-foot-high scarlet octopus ogles my lunch.
She lords over the second floor of a restaurant in Osaka's Shinsekai quarter, a pastiche of Paris and Coney Island erected in the early 1900s, neglected by the midcentury, and respected today for its retro-futurist architecture and first-class fast food. Ursula-san already clutches takoyaki (octopus fritters) and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) in her white-suckered tentacles but, unsurprisingly for a native Osakan, she's still hungry.
Between us is a checkerboard lane and a monsoon. Seated by a rain-lashed window, my guide, Noriyuki Ikegami, and I are safe inside Tsuruhashi Fugetsu, a chain specializing in another Osakan treasure, okonomiyaki. With the muscle memory and blasé demeanor of someone who has done this ten thousand times, our server dumps a bowl of shaved cabbage and batter onto the hot, hissing grill built into our table. Over the next 20 minutes, she periodically reappears to add shrimp, steak, and pork; flip the pancake and paint it with mayo and a sweet, tangy brown sauce; fry up a sunny-side egg to slide on top; and finally bury it all in dancing bonito flakes. Okonomiyaki is a delicious mess. As is Osaka.
You can't just call Japan's third-largest city a food town. Two syllables cannot encompass the diversity and quality of the cooking, from hot and saucy takoyaki on the street to traditionsteeped kaiseki at the Michelin-starred Nishitenma Nakamura, where chef-owner Akemi Nakamura tenderizes squid sashimi with knife strokes as delicate as calligraphy. Osakans dine with athletic fervor and passion, and everyone I meet wants to know-demands to know, really-the same thing: "What have you eaten?" I tell them:
Bu hikaye Travel+Leisure US dergisinin July 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Travel+Leisure US dergisinin July 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
EARTHLY DELIGHTS
Come fall, the Italian region of Umbria is a lush, fertile inland oasis. Peter Terzian reaps a bounty of culinary and cultural pleasures.
RUNNER'S HIGH
Some travelers like to move at a faster clip. Alexandra Kleeman crosses the peaks and pastures of Ireland with a group of women who take life in stride.
THE WILDEST ISLE
Compared with its neighbors, the island of Hawaii is bigger, more untamed-and, at times, unpredictable. With her family in tow, Flora Stubbs finds the perfect balance between relaxation and rugged adventure.
A ticket to the top of the world
On a luxurious train tour of Peru, Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu are the headline acts. But, as Monisha Rajesh discovers, witnessing everyday life from the rails can be every bit as memorable.
Bonjour la France
When an American writer retires in Brittany, she learns how to belong again.
Chills and Thrills
On an Alaskan wilderness adventure, Sarah Manguso and her son learn the elements of survival.
Wheels on Fire
With its blazing fall colors and picturesque villages, the Japanese island of Kyushu was made for cycling.
Down to Earth
Pottery runs deep in Santa Fe, from hallowed Pueblo collections to clay-throwing pubs.
Steel City Shining
A tech boom; a thriving cultural scene; destination dining. Can this be... Pittsburgh?
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
This cute Pennsylvania town is brimming with artistic and cultural energy.
