Hello everyone. This is Kazue.
Yesterday, I walked around Osaka Umeda at night, Yodobashi Camera – Sanbangai area, and live-streamed it, so here is a summary of it. As usual, I’ll be introducing the kanji characters on the signs that caught my eye here and there…!
Japanese version of this blog article is here
I started the live from a location right near Yodobashi Camera and Grand Front Osaka.
The day (September 29, 2022) was neither hot nor cold, just the right temperature. A few people on the street were wearing long sleeves, but I was just fine in a short-sleeved top. I wish days like this would last longer.
To everyone after work. Thanks for your hard work! (It’s around 8:00 at night)
Well, the first thing I found was a sign for phone repair.
スマホスピタル Sumahosupitaru
iPhone/ スマホ /ゲーム
iPhone/ Smaho (->Smart phone) / game
修理：しゅうり shuuri : repair
買取：かいとり kaitori: buyout, buy-back
スマホスピタル suma-hosupitaru (Smartphone hospital) – a name of this repair shop
This is a highball bar.【Highball Bar = Whisky Soda Bar】
Highball is a generic term for a cocktail made by mixing an alcoholic beverage with a soft drink in the U.S., whereas in Japan it is a whiskey soda.
I went here once about 10 years ago. At that time, they had all-you-can-eat nuts as snacks.
Wendy’s + First Kitchen at the corner of the intersection
It used to be First Kitchen, but it seems to have been combined with Wendy’s a few years ago. (Surprise!)
JR Osaka Station is at the far right of the photo, and Hankyu Umeda Station is at the far left.
This intersection is famous. How many of you have ever crossed it?
阪急三番街 Hankyu Sanbangai Area
Well, here we are at Hankyu Sanbangai! This is a busy and fun area with inexpensive restaurants; a major renovation took place in 2017, and the area around the station is much nicer and smaller.
Kappa Yokocho at the back of this area is also highly recommended, so be sure to walk around. The road leading to Hankyu Osaka Umeda Station is also nice with used bookstores and antique stores.
Now, let’s take a peek at Izakaya Street♪
乾杯屋 Kanpai-ya
The first thing I noticed was “The Toast Shop.”
I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about:
乾杯: Kanpai = Cheers!
大衆居酒屋: Taishuu Izakaya
大衆 (taishuu) means “general public” or ”mass of the people”.
It’s like an izakaya for everyone.
It is really very inexpensive and surprising.
Here is our signature drink menu.
生ビール draft beer
レモンサワー Lemon sour – a mix of shochu and lemon with carbonated water.
And highball. It is a standard drink.
A yakiniku restaurant named Daimatsu.
This is a kushikatsu shop.
kushikatsu （串カツ）: spitted cutlet, deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables.
Japanese restaurants are easy to understand because plastic food samples like this are displayed in the storefront. It is easy to imagine what you can eat. It also whets your appetite. And it’s super realistic!
Restaurants in Osaka often have Billiken-san ビリケンさん decorating their storefronts. He is like a beckoning cat（招き猫 Maneki-neko), a god for restaurants. It has no religious significance at all but just a charm.
It is said that if you touch the sole of Mr. Billiken’s foot, you will be happy.
By the way, the signboard says “eigyochu 営業中: open for business.
勝男 Katsuo
So showy signboard, 勝男 Katsuo. I have been seeing this sign for the past few years. There are two of them in my neighborhood as well. It seems that they are expanding nationwide at a very rapid pace. Oita’s fried chicken (唐揚げ Karaage) is a popular izakaya food.
Fried chicken and beer is the best combination ever! And a glass of Premol (abbreviation of Premium Malts ~a product name of draft beer) is only 180 yen. It is super cheap. Premium Malts is a premium class of draft beer.
And this is the dried fish set meal restaurant.
There are various dried fish set menus. If you like fish, you will appreciate this kind of restaurant very much. I was so excited 💕 I had already eaten dinner at that time, but I regretted that I should have eaten here. I will definitely go here next time!
The hokke set meal looks so good! And it’s cheap!
880 yen for a beer set. I’m worried about the restaurant’s business. This neighborhood is a battleground for restaurants, so there are many inexpensive places to eat. And it’s really nice to be able to eat a nutritious fish set meal!
How was it, everyone?
This time we strolled around the Sanbangai area, a bustling neighborhood in Umeda, Osaka.
How was it? Kindly let me know what you think 🙂 If you have any Live streaming request, let me know as well.
I’m doing a live street feed like this, chatting in Japanese and English, so if you’d like to join us next time we’re live, please do!
この記事の日本語版はこちら。
Japanese version of this blog article is here
https://learnjapanese123.com/night-walk-osaka-umeda-japanese-version/
This live performance can be viewed here.
We also went live on Facebook. Please take a look if you like.
