The Sora Tsuruhashi honten restaurant features a corrugated metal exterior that stands out against the surrounding neighborhood of Tennoji. This shop began as a small stand inside the Tsuruhashi market, founded by a woman named Sora who…
Tsuruhashi Market and Koreatown
We will walk through the narrow post-war alleys of Tsuruhashi and the lively avenues of Ikuno to trace the history, flavors, and evolving modern culture of Osaka's Korean community.
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1. Sora Tsuruhashi honten
2. Tsuruhashi Shopping Street
The Tsuruhashi Shopping Street fills the narrow, labyrinthine alleys beneath the elevated train tracks with the heavy, persistent scent of charcoal-grilled meat. After the Second World War, this area became a hub for black markets, where…
3. Yasuda Shoten / Photo Studio Yasuda
The dark wooden facade of Photo Studio Yasuda stands out among the neighboring concrete buildings with its weathered, narrow slats and traditional storefront design. Inside, the shop has functioned as a family-run photography business for…
4. Miyukimori Tenjingu
Miyukimori Tenjingu features a pair of stone foxes guarding a gate that sits tucked away from the main road in Ikuno. The shrine grounds hold a massive camphor tree, its thick, gnarled roots pushing up through the surrounding pavement.…
5. Ourlog coffee 桃谷店
The Ourlog coffee shop in Momodani sits behind a glass facade framed by raw concrete and warm timber slats. This space occupies a former warehouse, repurposed to balance the industrial grit of the surrounding neighborhood with a minimalist…
6. Yamada Shoten Kimuchi
The red signage reading Yamada Shoten sits above a display of plastic containers filled with varying shades of red chili paste and pickled vegetables. This shop specializes in kimchi, a staple brought to Osaka by Korean immigrants during…
7. Osaka Korea Town Museum
The Osaka Korea Town Museum occupies a modest, narrow building distinguished by a bright red exterior that contrasts with the surrounding neighborhood. It exists to archive the personal histories of the Zainichi Koreans who settled in…