Navigating Everything on Offer at Osaka Kizu Wholesale Market

Jun 28, 2022

Navigating Everything on Offer at Osaka Kizu Wholesale Market

Whether you want a meal made with the freshest fish you can find, are searching for souvenirs, or want to experience a traditional Japanese market, Kizu Wholesale Market in Osaka is the place to go. It opens at 5:00 a.m. every day, but if you want to steer clear of the crowds, you should wait until at least 9:00 a.m. to visit. Plus, to avoid being overwhelmed by everything on offer, there are a few places, in particular, to look out for.

Kizu Uoichi Shokudo

Whereas there are plenty of places where you can eat in Kizu Wholesale Market, most offer no seating. One place where you can sit down, though, is Kizu Uoichi Shokudo. Some top choices for dishes include uni kaisendon (a bowl of sea urchin and other seafood) and any kind of koboredon — a word that roughly translates to “overflowing rice bowl.” A particularly filling one is kobore ikuradon, which has a large amount of salmon roe.

Atchichi Honpo

You may hear people exclaim “Achichi!” when food is particularly hot. At Atchichi Honpo, you can try freshly-made, hot takoyaki balls of octopus, tempura, pickled ginger, and green onion in a wheat flour batter.

Daidoko Yamanaka

There’s also an izakaya in the market – Daidoko Yamanaka. It doesn’t open until 5:00 p.m., but it’s an excellent place to enjoy a meal of tempura or sashimi with one of 40 types of sake. The staff can recommend the right drink to pair with your meal.

Shintaku Shoten

You can find some exciting shellfish at Shintaku Shoten, including sea snails. Customers commend this restaurant for its decent prices and great range of food.

Yamatoku Foods

For vegetables to accompany your seafood, head to Yamatoku Foods. If you go in the spring, you’ll be able to pick up bamboo shoots boiled with katsuobushi — skipjack tuna dried, fermented, and smoked.

Morikichi Shoten

Another top choice for vegetables is Morichiki Shoten. This store sells a variety of pickles. They come in a variety of colors, resulting in an attractive display.

ODA

If you cannot find something you need from the small stores around the market, head to ODA. The wholesale supermarket has great deals on snacks, ramen, and souvenirs when you buy in bulk.

Kaino Coffee

A store completely different from most of the others is Kaino Coffee. It offers Western-style set breakfasts with your choice of coffee, black tea, or milk.

Once you know how to navigate Kizu Wholesale Market, you’ll be able to come back whenever you want. It’s the perfect place to pick up seafood, dried goods, and vegetables to prepare meals at home as well as to come for a meal or quick snack. If you also want to see the fish auctions, visit the market on the second or last Saturday of the month to attend Kizu Morning Market. At the event, you can earn lottery tickets by spending at least 1,000 yen at select stores, which will give you the chance to win fresh food prizes.

m-louis .® from Osaka, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons