Japan with Cleo #10/10 - Osaka & Kobe

(This post is Part 10 of 10 on Japan with Cleo, 28 April - 14 May 2017.)

Cleo at Dotonburi, Osaka

So here's the final installment of our 2017 BFF Japan trip.... When I wrote the previous post about the trip (Part 9(3)), I told myself that I would post one post per day, to get up-to-date. But I've not done that. Very tardy of me, especially when considering I've been back to Japan another 2 times 3 times already, at the end of 2017, during CNY 2018 and more recently in late March, with different clan members too....

For the last 2 days of this BFF trip, we spent in a day in Osaka and another in Kobe. We'd briefly been to Osaka once, back in Golden Week 2016. After visiting Tokyo's Tsukiji (Part 4), I was most curious to see what the market at Osaka would be like (after all, Osaka is known as Japan's kitchen), and to learn more about Japan's second largest metropolitan area.

Osaka

So, Osaka has been known as the nation's kitchen, tenka no daidokoro (天下の台所てんかのだいどころ), since the Edo period (1603-1868). Apparently, during the Edo period, Osaka was the transport hub for many goods, and the price of rice in Osaka's then Dojima Rice Market was the standard for the price of rice across Japan. Kind of much like the way Tokyo Tsukiji is now for seafood (especially maguro).

Present-day Osaka is without a doubt a great city, fun and loud and full of garishness (in a good way). I do think Osaka is a fun city, and found this great video by The Economist about Osakans and their recommendations for a first-timer to the city. I think the video sums up what I like about Osaka. (A lot is food-related....) Osaka-jin would say it rivals Tokyo in what the city has to offer, and that Osaka-jin are open and friendlier than their Tokyo counterparts. The latter, I think, is true but I personally prefer Tokyo as a city.

What I saw in Osaka doesn't tell me much about the ancient history of the area. But I think it's because we did not see much this time, focusing instead of exploring the market and the urban parts of Osaka. But in my travel research, I learnt that there were people living in the Osaka area as early as the 6th to 5th centuries BC, and the Osaka port area was once known as Naniwa. Back then, Osaka (then called Naniwa) was the base for entry for foreign envoys, and visitors from the Asian continent, in particular China and Korea. Around the Nara and Asuka periods (710-793), it was the centre of international exchange between Japan and China, and even became the capital twice — in 645 AD under Emperor Kotoku, and in 744 under Emperor Shomu. Even though the capital later moved to Nara in 655AD, it was still Japan's international gateway for trade and relations with China and Korea.

Also, because Prince Shotoku built Shitenno-ji in 593AD in Naniwa (Osaka), and of a Buddhist belief that Paradise lay in the west (i.e. the Western Paradise of Amida Buddha), many Buddhist pilgrims visited Shitenno-ji, and a pilgrimage route from a place called Watanabezu to Shitenno-ji and Sumiyoshi Taisha to Kumano was developed sometime during the Heian and Kamakura periods (794-1333). But the best known episode of Osaka's place in Japanese history is probably Oda Nobunaga's 1570-1580 siege against the Ikko-ikki in 1570. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Oda's retainer and successor, later built Osaka Castle over the ruins of Ishiyama Honganji. And at this point, I am ashamed to say that I have not visited Osaka Castle yet!

On this trip, we spent most of our day at Dotonbori and Kuromon Market.

Dotonbori, Osaka

So, Osaka is known as Japan's kitchen, and Dotonbori (道頓堀) is probably one of the best examples of that status...since it's crammed with eateries, restaurants, entertainment places, large and loud billboards that are loved by local Osaka-jin and tourists. Historically, Dotonbori began life in 1612...back to its namesake, a local administrator named Nariyasu Doton or, per other sources, a local merchant Yasui Doton.

Dotonbori, Osaka

Some time in 1612, local canal administrator Nariyasu Doton (or local merchant Yasui Doton) began a canal project to link the Umezu River to the local Kizugawa canal network. Doton's canal project was disrupted when he was killed in 1615 during the Siege of Osaka, defending Toyotomi Hideyori. After the Siege, his partners completed the canal, and it was named after Doton, hence the name Dotonbori (道頓堀), which literally means "Doton canal". The canal increased trade in the area, and in 1621 it was designated as the entertainment district of Osaka by the Tokugawa shongunate. It flourished as an entertainment district with kabuki and bunraku theatres, the Takeda karakuri theatre (Takeda-za), jazz clubs, restaurants and cafes.

Glico Man billboard, Dotonbori, Osaka

Following the area's destruction in WWII, it was rebuilt with restaurants, theatres and new neon billboards. Of all the billboards in the area, the Glico Man billboard is the oldest and precedes WWII; it was first installed in 1935. Well okay, not exactly, since the sign has been renewed several times since. The latest one was renewed in 2014, complete with LED lights.

The famous crab with moving legs, Kani Doraku, a very popular crab restaurants in Osaka.

Didn't really keep a look-out, but other than the Glico Man, there are other icons in the Dotonbori area... Like the huge moving crab billboard of Kani Doraku (which we've been to) and the gigantic fugu lanterns of Zuboraya, and Karl Ojisan...just to name a few.

The famous gigantic fugu for Zuboraya, a fugu specialist restaurant.

I did read that one could literally eat one's way through Dotonbori, with takoyaki, kushikatsu and various snack, and shabu shabu or sukiyaki, fugu, crab and the like.

Kuromon Market, Osaka

We did most of our eating at Kuromon Market (黒門市場), the well-known 600m-long covered market in the Chuo ward of Osaka. Although it is a far-cry from Tokyo's Tsukiji, Kuromon has a fairly long history of its own. (And well, no other market can compare with Tsukiji, really....)

It was around 1902 (the Meiji era) that a market was established in the area, and it was originally named Enmyoji Ichiba due to the nearby Enmyoji. As there was a black gate to Enmyoji's northeast, the market became known as Kuromon Ichiba, i.e. "black gate market". Unfortunately, Enmyouji and the black gate were destroyed in a fire in 1912, leaving only the market.

Ark shell (akagai) at Kuromon Market, Osaka

Kuromon Market is definitely known for seafood, especially grilled seafood. We popped by one of the stores selling an array of seafood, fresh and grilled.

So while waiting for our food, I had a nice close look of the seafood on display and my eyes were kind of fixated on the tray of akagai (赤貝), the ark shell clam which we call see-hum here at home, used in various hawker favourites like char kway teow and laksa. It is also native to our waters. I don't know why but I've never minded it as a sushi neta, but I can't stand it in my char kway teow and laksa. Why, when they're essentially the same thing?

Ikura and uni donburi, Kuromon Market, Osaka

Delicious grilled unagi, Kuromon Market, Osaka

Grilled scallop with lemon and shoyu, Kuromon Market, Osaka

Grilled scallop with cheese, Kuromon Market, Osaka

Ah yes, one of the highly recommended seafood snacks to have at Kuromon Market is grilled scallop. We had one grilled cheese gratin style, and another with lemon and shoyu. Love the richness of the cheese gratin, but I think the lemon and shoyu match the scallop best...a delicious mix of sweet, savoury and sour.

Grilled king crab (tarabagani), Kuromon Market, Osaka

Hubby loves king crab. So we got a few legs. Delicious (as always) but not exactly the best value here, when compared to Hokkaido. (Fond memories of Hakodate (Part 6), Otaru, Shiretoko!)

Quail egg-stuffed baby octopus on a stick, Kuromon Market, Osaka

Another iconic Kuromon Market snack apparently, is the quail egg-stuffed baby octopus. I am so-so about it. Maybe if mine wasn't cold, and the quail egg was more like a soft-poached egg? Or am I just too picky?

Waiting for his grilled Kobe beef skewer

Grilled Kobe beef, Kuromon Market, Osaka

We stopped at some stall selling grilled Kobe beef skewers. A little pricey vis-a-vis the other foods available at Kuromon Market, but heck, why not. It was delightfully juicy and tender, just nicely seasoned with a drizzle of shoyu.

Ah yes, so while DT and I were waiting for our beef skewer, some angmoh tourist came by. After looking for a short while, he loudly complained and scoffed that he wouldn't waste his money on tasting foods from the various stalls when he could spend that same amount on 101 other things. Well, he is definitely entitled to his opinion and how he would like to spend his own money. But I think that if that's the case then maybe he should just stay in his hotel or wherever it is he would rather be, or maybe not even bother getting onto the plane at all. DT and I've been on shoe-string trips before, but we certainly don't recall acting like insensitive and boorish spoil-sports. We're having our fun here, dude; please take your trash-talk elsewhere, thanks.

Plenty other snack foods including sushi, oden, takoyaki, as well as tea and food items that one would typically buy to bring home to cook.

A quiet side alley at Kuromon Market, Osaka

Seafood at Kuromon Market, Osaka

Lots of seafood all over Kuromon Market.

Tiger blowfish (torafugu), Kuromon Market, Osaka

And among the seafood we spotted is the torafugu (虎河豚), the most prestigious of the edible fugu in Japan. Incidentally, it is also the most poisonous. I've eaten fugu a couple of times before (not sure if it was the torafugu) and I think it would disappoint if one is expecting an explosion of rich complex flavours. Because, well, it isn't. It's subtle and clean-tasting, like most white-fleshed fish, and has a chewy texture, rather like hirame or engawa.

Kogomi (ostrich fern fiddleheads) at Kuromon Market, Osaka

There were also tons of other kinds of edible perishables, meats, fruits, vegetables.... And like the other markets we visited this trip (Aomori Gyosai, Hakodate Asaichi, Tsukiji), sansai was to be seen everywhere too.

AI robot providing information.

There were also some interesting and cute things in the market.....

A kitty Buddha in Kuromon.... Kawaii~!

Actually, Kuromon is like a neighbourhood shotengai on a large scale, selling all kinds of things, not just edible perishables. I admit that our main focus in visiting Kuromon Market was really to eat.

Stuff I found at Kuromon Market, Osaka

But while wandering around, I did find some non-edible loot. Some small boutique where a cut-out lace blouse caught my eye. And in some quiet part of the market, I came across a small wafuku shop. A small roll of royal blue chirimen with gold leaf caught my eye. My favourite blue! Dug around and decided to get the deep plum chirimen too. Perfect for Blythe-sized kimono!

Evening time, we went up the Abeno Harukas (あべのハルカス) to catch the night-time view of Osaka. We actually received free tickets for it, and thought it'd be a waste if we didn't use them. LOL.

Night view of Osaka from the Harukas 300, Osaka

So the Abeno Harukas is 300m tall and is the tallest skyscraper in Japan. We went up to the Harukas 300, which is the observation deck at Abeno Harukas. The all-around floor-to-ceiling glass windows gives an impressive 360o view of Osaka.

Night view of Tennoji Park from the Harukas 300, Osaka

So, this trip, we didn't go to other Osaka landmarks like Tennoji Park, Osaka Zoo, and the Tsutenkaku tower, but we did get a faraway view of them from Harukas 300....

After that we went down to the Kintetsu Department Store, had dinner at Piccolo Curry on the restaurant floor, and then went to explore the food basement. (Yes, very single-minded pursuit.)

Food basement at the Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Department Store, Osaka

The department store food basements in Japan are unrivalled food paradises! We just generally walked around to look at the snacks and food being sold at the food basement. There was a huge fresh seafood section.

 

Our food loot: BAKE cheese tart

We did some snack shopping. DT and I thought it'd be a good idea to get some cheesecake tarts from the famous BAKE Cheese Tart. After all, we are in its homeland. Crumbly pastry, fluffy and silky and creamy cheese filling, wonderful mix of cheesy and savoury and sweet. What's there not to like?

Food loot: Dassai sake.

We had a ton of other snacks that we accumulated over our trip, all "collected" from various department store food basements. So we took them out and made some decent in-roads into the stash. Oh, and we opened a small bottle of Dassai 23.

Kobe

And then on our last day in Japan, we took the Special Rapid Service to Kobe. To be honest, I initially had grand plans... a ride up Shin-Kobe Ropeway, explore the ijinkan at Kitano-cho, sample sake at the Nada sake district, visit the Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park and the Earthquake Museum. But things don't always go as planned.

As for why we took the Special Rapid Service instead of the shinkansen...answer is simple. It's actually way more convenient. One can catch the Special Rapid Service from Osaka Station (more central compared to Shin-Osaka Station) directly to the JR Sannomiya Station, which is more central than Shin-Kobe. The travel time is not much longer - 10-15 minutes vs the shinkansen. And it's cheaper, and the trains are more frequent.

Sleeping in...what bliss!

Early on during the trip, the 3 of us had a quick discussion and unanimously decided to just take it easy on our last day. So, pretty much all of the grand plans got shelved. Deciding to take it easy on our last day was probably one of our better ideas. We ended up sleeping in.

Bumming around in our Osaka hotel room

We did eventually crawl out of our very comfortable beds, and that was when our phones started pinging. Uh-uh...some more work matters to deal with.... They do tend to increase in frequency as we neared the end of our trip. The thing about some jobs is that you are never really able to leave work behind and have an undisturbed vacation. Sometimes it's not so bad, sometimes it's just downright intrusive. But I've grown used to work matters disrupting all our vacations. Both boys had to get their laptops out. But eventually everyone settled the stuff, and we all got our sorry butts out of our hotel room to grab lunch.

Ichiran tonkotsu ramen (Osaka)

The custom order chit at Ichiran

Lunch was tonkotsu ramen at Ichiran Ramen (the branch near Osaka Station), the popular ramen chain in Japan that specialises in only tonkotsu ramen, in the traditional Hakata style. Ichiran seems to be a favourite among my fellow countrymen (e.g. DanielFoodDiary, missuschewy, and itadakimasu).

As far as classic tonkotsu ramen goes, I think it is one of the better Hakata tonkotsu ramens. The broth is rich and creamy, and slightly (pleasantly!) sweet and mellow. However, I do not agree that it is the best tonkotsu ramen in Japan, let alone the best ramen in the world. On a personal level, though I think Ichiran is decent, it'll never be on my list of top favourites (which contains the likes of Kagari, Fuunji, Nakiryu, Ikkousha, etc). But Ichiran deserves a place on anyone's "good and safe choice" list.

Ichiran's "Flavour Concentration Booth" also has polarised opinions, and I do agree with some of them. But I sometimes like to eat in a silo. (By the way, an introvert is not necessarily the equivalent of a hikikomori.) Sometimes, in a crowded city of strangers or at home, it's bliss to step away from constant interaction and distraction, block out everything else and be able to focus/reflect on what's immediately before me or on my mind. Not that the privacy booths really maximise the flavour of Ichiran's ramen. It doesn't for me. But someone else may feel differently. I've come to learn that ramen preferences in Japan is a highly subjective and, sometimes, polarising topic that often boils down to personal choice.

Kobe Sannomiya area.

So, Kobe!

Kobe (神戸) is the capital of Japan's Hyogo prefecture (the prefectural home of Himeji Castle and Japan's real life castle in the sky, the Takeda Castle ruins). Generally, most people associate Kobe with the devastating 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Kobe City is, after all, best known for its recovery post-1995, and stands as a symbol of Japanese resilience in the face of disaster.

But Kobe is definitely a lot more than just that, since the origins of the area go back as early as the prehistoric Jomon period, and has been been an important port since the Nara period (then called Owada-no-tomari). It was also one of the treaty ports that opened at the end of Japan's isolationist policy. (I've posted about this with respect to Yokohama (here) and Hakodate (see Part 6), port cities that also opened to international trade following the 1854 Kanagawa Treaty.)

Strolling along Flower Road, Kobe

Today, Kobe is really rather quiet and peaceful, compared to its tumultuous past. But in the many places where we look, there's always something that points back to 1995. Even something unexpected, like a manhole cover.

Oh yes, on the topic of manhole covers in Japan.... They're famous; so famous that there are locals and foreigners who go drain-spotting in Japan. There's a Japan Society of Manhole Covers, and a sewerage publicity platform — the Gesuido Koho Platform (GKP), a group of professionals and enthusiasts that includes government officials from local governments, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and the Japan Sewage Works Association.... There's even collectible 'manhole cards', a project developed by GKP. Σ(〇□〇〃)

Decorative manhole covers began in the 1980s, with the modernisation of Japan's sewerage infrastructure in the rural areas. To overcome resistance, an official from the former infrastructure ministry came up with the idea, and said they could be used to promote the area's image. Apparently, the manufacturers are ones behind the art — submitting designs to the municipality, which then selects the winning design. The cover design generally includes something related to the municipality — municipal symbols, local landscapes, illustrations of local legends, or just abstract patterns.

So, while strolling along Flower Road, I just happened to look down and see one of those decorative manhole covers.

The one I noticed was a "Welcome to Kobe!" cover, filled with various Kobe landmarks — all of which are icons of Kobe that are either symbolic of the city's port status, or its rise from the ashes following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

A decorated manhole cover along Flower Road — icons of Ikariyama, Kobe Airport, Kazamidori no Yakata, Kobe city skyline (Kobe Port Tower, Kobe City Hall, Kobe Harbourland ferris wheel, Higashinada Sewage Treatment Plant), Kobe Port

At the top is Ikariyama (錨山) with the anchor and Kobe city logo, which are lit at night. After the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, they remained lit as they were powered by wind and solar, and came to be regarded as lights of hope for the devastated city. The airplane probably references Kobe Airport, which was completed and opened in 2006, also linked to Kobe's recovery after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Prior to 1995, construction of the Kobe Airport was stalled because of funding issues. But in 1995, after the earthquake, the project won national government support as a means for recovering Kobe's economy.

Then there are the iconic Kobe buildings referencing the city's past, present and future as a port city. From the left is the iconic German-styled ijinkan Kazamidori no Yakata, a symbol of the Kitano ijinkan district and, by extension, of Kobe's past as a treaty port. Then the landmarks in the Kobe city skyline — Kobe Port Tower at Meriken Park, Kobe City Hall, the Kobe Harborland ferris wheel — and the bulb-like biogas facilities of the Kobe City Higashinada Sewage Treatment Plant. At first, I didn't recognise the Higashiana SewageTreatment Plant, so I went to dig up some information. Apparently, Kobe's sewage system, including the plant, was severely damaged by the 1995 earthquake, and one of the reforms that Kobe promptly undertook after the earthquake was the sewage system, so that it would continue to operate should a disaster happen again. On the successful reconstruction of the said plant, it was designed to also produce renewable energy — Kobe Biogas. Concentrated sewage sludge and biomass are processed and refined into a gas that is used as fuel, as well as recycled phosphorus to be used as agricultural fertiliser within Kobe.

The container ship and a passenger cruise ship reference the port of Kobe. Prior to the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, Kobe's port was the busiest in the world and was the world's busiest container ports in the '70s. After the earthquake, it didn't recover its world status, but remains Japan's 3rd/4th busiest container port. Today, Kobe's port is also a home port for cruise ships.

Nackymade, Kobe Atelier

Anyway, we were in Kobe mainly because DT had an appointment at Nackymade. Hubby and I were free to do whatever else we liked, but I confess I really wanted to check out the Nackymade atelier.

Choices, choices, choices. DT was spoilt for choice at Nackymade, Kobe Atelier.

I think we spent quite a lot of time there. DT couldn't decide which pair and combi. And I was pretty fixated on a funky pair of sunglasses — black acetate, crocodile temples, and mismatched fire engine red and royal blue hinges. Awesomely cool, but I did not buy them.

After Nackymade, we headed for Steak Land Kobe (ステーキランド神戸) near Sannomiya Station for an early dinner. Am a bit too lazy to put up a separate food diary post (which is what I normally do) at this point.

Anyway. Yes. When in Kobe, eat Kobe beef!!! Kobe beef is one of Japan's Sandai Wagyu ("Three Great Wagyu"), and comes from only the pure-bred Tajima-gyu (a strain of the Japanese Black) that are born and raised in the Hyogo Prefecture, fed with grains and grasses from within the Hyogo Prefecture, have a BMS of level 6 or above, an A4 or A5 meat quality score of, etc . other stringent criteria.

Kobe beef steak tenderloin set at Steakland Kobe, Sannomiya, Kobe.

Compared to other Kobe beef places (of which one we enjoyed was Gyu-An in Tokyo), Steak Land Kobe is reasonably priced. Steak Land Kobe to Kobe beef is kind of like Steakhouse Satou to Matsusaka beef. Very casual and open atmosphere, counter seats in front of the teppanyaki and the chefs, watching them prepare your meal for you.

And what else is left to be said? On first bite, we all fell silent, and did not speak for a long while.

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Japan with Cleo (28 April - 14 May 2017)
- I. Tokyo - Asakusa • Seiko Museum • Ginza • Akihabara & Nakano • Tsukiji Market • Enoshima • Shinkawa, Tsukuda & Tsukishima • Sushi Nakamura • La Paix • Nishiazabu Taku • Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu • 3-gatsu no Lion 
- II. Aomori & Hirosaki - Auga Market • Aomori Gyosai Centre • Hirosaki Castle Park • Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri 2017 • Flying Witch
- III. Hakodate - Hakodate Asaichi • Goryokaku Park
- IV. Fuji Five Lakes - Lake Motosu • Subaru 5th Station & Shibazakura • Chureito & Kawaguchiko
- V. Osaka - Kuromon Market • Dotonbori • Harukas 300 • Food Basement Galore!
- VI. Kobe - nackymade • Steak Land Kobe

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