Kushikatsu Daruma

The giant, scowling fiberglass chef looming over the storefront holds a skewer of fried meat with both hands. This is the Shinsekai headquarters of Kushikatsu Daruma. It opened in nineteen twenty-nine, when a local man named Sadakichi Namigai started serving inexpensive skewers to laborers building the nearby Tsutenkaku Tower. He created the practice of dipping crispy, deep-fried snacks into a shared metal tin of dark, savory sauce, provided the customer followed the strict, singular rule of never dipping twice.