Originally Posted by mosburger
Don't forget to try the mom nīpop Takoyaki stalls n Kansai. It's a little bit of an acquired taste but they tend to do it just right.
And if you want to know how difficult it is to make the perfect tako-yaki, you can try cooking your own - at Tako no tetsu (蛸之徹 ), which is very close to the Osaka Hilton.
Tako no tetsu is a "cook your own takoyaki" restaurant in the basement (Level B2) of the Osaka Marubiru (the odd-looking circular tube building in front of Osaka station).
Be warned - Takoyaki is generally considered to be a "don't try this at home" kind of cuisine. Iit takes skill to manipulate the blobs of pancake mix into squidgy spheres around a piece of octopus - with nothing more than a steel skewer and dimpled hot plate. You probably ought to spend some time watching a professional before you try this.
Mrs. jib71 and I had a great time there - and we now know how hard it really is to make "octopus balls."