Start Exploring Osaka’s Amazing Cuisine, with Guided Day Tours or Half Day Tours with JTB Travel

Japan is known, in part, for its fantastic and authentic cuisine. From sushi and sashimi to more exotic dishes that you won’t find anywhere outside of Japan, the country is a goldmine for lovers of eastern cuisine.

While you can enjoy delicious food in any part of Japan, though—particularly in major cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto—Osaka might just be the most important destination for the food-minded tourist. Indeed, among Japanese nationals, Osaka has the nickname of ‘tenka no daidokoro,’ which translates to ‘the nation’s kitchen.’ The city is, in other words, at the very heart of Japanese cuisine.

Find the Best Restaurants and Foods with an Osaka Guided Tour

In the early days, Osaka was known as ‘the nation’s kitchen’ for a more business-driven reason: it was at the centre of Japan’s rice trade. Today, though, the nickname persists not because of trade, but because of food quality. Tourists will come to Osaka from far and wide to enjoy okonomiyaki, a pancake or omelette-like dish that can include a broad range of ingredients ranging from eggs to cabbage to octopus and squid!

Okonomiyaki may be Osaka’s signature dish, but it certainly isn’t the only type of food that you would be hard-pressed to find at Japanese restaurants in Australia. Another unique dish that the city is known for is oshizushi. If the name looks like sushi, that’s because oshizushi is sushi. Rather than coming in rolls, though, oshizushi chefs use a special mould to press rice, fish and other ingredients into a block-shaped piece of sushi. This block is then cut into smaller pieces and served. The most famous version of oshizushi uses mackerel as its core ingredient. Like other types of sushi, though, oshizushi comes in multiple varieties.

Book Your Tour with JTB Travel Today

There is an old saying about Kyoto and Osaka that explains which pricey lifestyle habits tend to ‘ruin’ the finances of locals. In Kyoto, the mantra says, residents are likely to spend too much money on clothing. In Osaka, though, residents are likely to spend too much money on food.

If food is your primary focus, then be sure to book an Osaka day tour with lunch! If you would rather see the sites that the city offers and then go off on your own to find your restaurant of choice, you might opt for an Osaka half day tour. Both options are available through JTB Travel.

Regardless of which of our Osaka guided tours you decide to book for yourself and your group, make sure you enjoy at least a meal or two while you are in the city. Osaka offers the very best in authentic Japanese cuisine, and you surely won’t be disappointed in your okonomiyaki, oshizushi, udon noodles or any other dish you choose for your dinner or lunch.

If you are interested in booking an Osaka day tour or half day tour, give us a call at JTB Travel. We will be happy to make sure you end up on the right tour, on the right day. You can reach us on 1300 739 330.