Osaka, the kitchen of Japan

There is a saying in Japan: “Kyoto people ruin themselves on clothes, Osaka people on food.” The city we took our name from has been known for centuries as the tastiest in the country. Here is why we love it.

“The nation’s kitchen”

In the Edo period (1603–1868), Osaka was Japan’s main trading port. Rice, fish, salt, sugar, soy sauce and kombu seaweed from all over the country arrived here first and were then shipped on to other cities. That is why Osaka was called tenka no daidokoro — “the nation’s kitchen”. Historians count its Dōjima rice exchange among the world’s first futures markets.

Having the best produce close at hand made Osaka’s cooks demanding. Dashi, the broth at the heart of Japanese cooking, is usually made here with kombu — soft, deep and full of umami.

Kuidaore: eat until you drop

Osaka’s food philosophy is called kuidaore, literally “eat until you drop”. For Osakans, good food is not a luxury but part of everyday life: it should be affordable, filling and made with heart. Street foods like takoyaki (batter balls with octopus) and okonomiyaki spread around the world from here.

To feel that spirit, just walk along the Dōtonbori canal: neon signs, food stalls, queues. Nearby, Kuromon Market — nicknamed “Osaka’s kitchen” — sells fresh fish and seafood from early morning.

Osaka-style sushi: pressed in a mould

If Tokyo is known for hand-pressed nigiri, Osaka’s own classic is oshizushi, pressed sushi. Rice and fish are layered in a wooden mould, pressed down and cut into neat rectangles. It keeps its flavour for hours, which is why it was once carried on journeys and given as a gift.

The best-known kind is battera: cured mackerel, a thin sheet of kombu and vinegared rice. The name comes from the Portuguese bateira, “little boat” — the first battera were shaped like one.

The conveyor belt came from Osaka too

In 1958, in the city of Fuse (now Higashiōsaka), chef Yoshiaki Shiraishi opened the first kaiten-zushi, a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. He took the idea from a conveyor carrying bottles at a brewery. Plates glide past the guests, everyone takes what they like, and the bill is counted by the plates. Sushi became affordable for everyone, and after Expo ’70 in Osaka the format became known worldwide.

Where our name comes from

For us, Osaka is more than a nice name. It stands for the idea that good food should be for everyone: generous portions and honest flavour. That is how Sushi Osaka Baku works too — in central Baku, every day 11:00–23:00.