jib71

Osaka has a lot of affordable and tasty comfort food, for sure. But if "street food" means the socially accepted practice of eating outdoors and in public (or the practice of preparing the meal outdoors or at least in a store with a wide-open front), then I think Osaka is pretty limited compared with the much more developed street food cultures in Taipei, Bangkok, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, etc.

MSYtoJFKagain

I still feel the burn of the takoyaki on the roof of my mouth. After being warned 30 times I still biffed it and immediately took a bite.

I would only really consider a few small sections of Dotonburi as "street" food and even then I wouldn't call it that because its largely snacks. I've seen a few spots on various English-speaking Youtube channels that would fit the bill of outdoor eating/drinking in various cities but they seemed like special spots and not the norm.

If we're talking about easily accessible from the street food, Osaka is a gold mine but I would say areas of Tokyo are just as good. Just go under expressways and train tracks and follow your nose. Yes, that is actual advice received from an ex-pat.

freecia we tried one of those crepe in Harajuku and I think I'm still on a sugar high from it. Not my flavor profile at all but the crepe texture was nice.

jib71

I agree with your comment. I can't think of many food outlets that are not easily accessible from a street... If that's what we mean by street food, there's a French restaurant with three Michelin stars that I pass on my way to work that serves excellent street food. Their street wine list is terrific too.

I think "Osaka is the capital of street food" deserves a place on the list of counterfactual tropes about Japan, along with "Blossoms beget nationwide travel chaos."

LapLap

Since James May and his producers are including Kobe Gyu Wanomiya https://tabelog.com/osaka/A2701/A270...otolst/3/smp2/ as a representative example of “street food” your twinkly French resto sits there comfortably without exaggeration.

jib71

I am aware that he wasn't the bigoted pub bore, just the "sensible" mate of the bigoted pub bore, in the Top Gear show. Nonetheless, it's a testament to something (chutzpah? creative thinking? monkey tennis?) that the telly people saw his potential for this kind of travelogue. I suppose there's an audience for Karl Pilkington abroad...

LapLap

The audience must be there. What I found very strange when taking this look at how “street food” is presented (which then takes on its own reality) is that it then generated zero online interest with anybody wanting to replicate May’s experience. Honke Ootako can be seen in romaji in the clip, once identified in google maps a quick area search of 神戸牛(Kobe beef) then showed the tourist trap meat vendor just a short walk away.
If you run James May and Honke Ootako or James May and Wanomiya through a search engine, the only result you’ll see is here - Hello! Neither restaurant are mentioned anywhere else in this context.
As I said; weird.

dtremit

I think the term gets thrown about in reference to Osaka because many of the foods in question — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, etc — developed as street foods sold at yatai, before those were effectively phased out.

LapLap

Sushi, tempura and, initially, many of the introduced Western foods were also sold from street stalls. And it gets more complicated with okonomiyaki, which is a later style of monjayaki; one of the comfort foods that originated in and maintained their popularity at dagashiya.

jib71

It's possible that the folks who throw out the term "street food" in relation to Japan are experts in culinary history, making oblique references to the yatai of yore. It's also possible that they acquired the idea of "Japanese street food" through the telephone game that ensued when a culinary historian said something about the origins of some popular dishes.

I think it's more likely that they talk about "discovering the street food" based on preconceived ideas of what one does in Asia and/or because they're sloppy with words.

Occam's usuba.

LapLap

I think you’ve nailed it, but I’d change sloppy for “good enough” as these words do seem to be “good enough” for use in certain social and cultural circles, it’s just that they are sloppy in wider contexts. When I’m told a word by Sophie I also consider how Yolanda would understand it and whether it would require more context in a conversation with Yumiko. I love words that withstand the transitions.
I took in some “street food tours” yesterday on YouTube to see what kind of videos were being made by Japanese people in Japan. For the most part, unsurprisingly, they were explorations of food stalls at Festival locations.

I had a good conversation with MrLapLap last night about what yatai means. Your Occam’s implement was needed as he made an iron clad case for Tesco’s being Street Food.

ETA
This article, IMHO, makes a satisfactory summary of what “street food” actually is in Japan.
https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/japanese-street-food

It doesn’t include everything - for instance, scalding hot spiked turban shells and other seafoods cooked in their shells, aren’t included, cucumbers make the list but not the other raw/lightly pickled vegetables.
Mentioning vegetables:
“In August 2014, there was STEC O157 food poisoning of 510 cases, who consumed contaminated lightly pickled cucumbers sold at food stands during a fireworks display in Shizuoka Prefecture”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6989183/

This article provides a good summary of why street food culture is quite different in most parts of Japan to that in other parts of Asia - https://www.tofugu.com/japan/yatai/

kinglobjaw

Trying to understand Sakura better and best viewing timeframe.

Regarding Cherry Blossom / Sakura - have been following closely on Release of 2023 Cherry Blossom Forecast (8th forecast) | Japan Meteorological Corporation (n-kishou.com)

Seems Tokyo now had a flowering date of 3/14 March and forecasted full bloom date of 3/21. Kyoto is 3/17 flowering and 3/27 forecast full bloom respectively. Reading online, some articles say Sakura viewing is a tiny window, whereas some say there is a two-week viewing period following full bloom. Looking to get some clarification.

Would a full bloom date of 3/21 Tokyo mean they can only be viewed for a few days or would they last for roughly two weeks until 4/4?

Currently looking arriving in Tokyo 3/28 or 3/29 and continuing to Kyoto around 4/1 or 4/2 with hopes to see Sakura both in Tokyo and Kyoto. Given the above forecasts, would you still do the trip in this order or would you go straight to Kyoto from US to arrive 3/28 or 3/29 and then Tokyo around 4/2 and forego Sakura in Tokyo? I guess I don't fully understand the viewing period as I have read conflicting information.

dasnotit

Can someone explain why people are enamoured with sakuras? Yes it looks nice, but enough to form one's holiday plans seems incredible to me. Is there a deeper cultural/social/political/economic reason behind the 'sakura season'?

Nice2CU

Did anybody buy travel medical insurance in Japan? Would like to have some recommendation.
Bought Allianz before and used it in France with low limit coverage. UniteHealthcare Global Insurance offered 1M coverage at a cheap price, but looks doubtful if that plan has good service.
Thanks!

Pickles

It's pretty to look at. Personally, I prefer leaf-peeping season, it lasts longer and I find them more pleasing to the eye (and not as crowded). Is it worth planning a trip around them? Sure, why not, if you've never seen them, they can be quite inspiring and memorable.

LapLap

Sakura has been entwined with most of my family’s visits to Japan over the past 13 years for the pragmatic reason that it coincides with Easter.

You asked “Is there a deeper cultural/social/political/economic reason behind the 'sakura season'?” and the answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. And, over the centuries, all these reasons will have an impact on a visitor’s superficial experience of sakura as they affected decisions about what to plant, where and in what quantities; there is a showmanship element to sakura, and it contributes to the ‘wow’ factor.
The cultural/social/political/economic reasons also have a deeper impact on how we the viewers perceive sakura on a less superficial level. The ephemeral nature of life, transience, vulnerability, the permanence and power of ideas and ideals in a disaster prone country that scoffs at permanence, the irrelevance of power and ideas and ideals. It’s all as shallow as one person might want it to be whilst being deeper than another person can bear.

Given the choice, I prefer Autumn in Japan. But the fleeting sakura season IS special and any time I’m in Japan during this season I will make a point of arranging to see it and be part of it. Each time it’s the same, each time it’s completely different.

Sakura is Natural Theatre, darling; one could go and simply enjoy the background scenery and pretty costumes, but by applying the willing suspension of disbelief there are other levels of magic. It’s the granddaddy of Seasonal Limited Editions.