Ikayaki - prepared by people in the Kansai region of Japan by cutting up squid and mixing it with flour to make a chunky pancake.

Mentioned on @whatthepato Youtube short: https://youtube.com/shorts/fbuvlRDUrUU?si=rI0_bVl3RXJMmXLF

A chain of small Chinese eateries famous for their pork buns. There’s 6 of them clustered in Osaka’s main train station in Umeda alone.

Youtube shorts video by @whatthepato: https://youtube.com/shorts/UOxs3Jl1xAI?si=mmctciHsngRSJlK_

A block away from the Taito Station and sounds very similar in terms of what’s on each floor, and GIGO appear to have actual arcade cabinets. For example Street Fighter IV.

Previously known as Sega Namba Avion and Hi-Tech Land Sega Avion.

Hidden away amongst the katsu restaurants of Janjan Yokocho alleyway is the retro arcade Kasuga Gorakujo. In business since 1959.

They have arcade cabinets for playing: Street Fighter II, Tekken 5, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Renegade, Metal Slug 3, Ghouls ’n Ghosts, Castlevania, Darius Gaiden, Gradius II, Arkanoid, Puyo Puyo and Tetris.

Pay per play ¥50 or ¥100.

Third on Kumagumi’s Top 5 Best Arcades in Osaka.

Kebazaki - a savoury pancake dish made from flour, egg and a whole lot of cabbage. Served hot and is the perfect snack to eat on-the-go. Love the mix of savoury pancakes and sweet okolomiyaki sauce.

Mentioned on @whatthepato Youtube short: https://youtube.com/shorts/fbuvlRDUrUU?si=VSQihMnUQfFjjfTc

Mostly following Nipponbashi Shopping Mall on Sakaisuji avenue, and spilling over into Ota Road which runs parallel, DenDen Town is densely packed with anime, manga, figurines, video games, trading card and retro vintage video games. Interspersed with street food stalls. A mini version of Akihibara, but more relaxed and chilled. “DenDen” is a shorterning of “Denki no Machi” (“Electric Town”).

It does get very busy on weekends, it’s better to set aside a few hours on a weekday to amble through the many shops and stalls.

On the southern edge of Denden in Nippombashi, heading towards Tsutenkaku tower. Retro TV Revival is one of the last retro game speciality shop in Denden Town.

Cash-only. An independent gaming store, small but jam-packed with retro-games over two floors, with slightly better prices than the nearby big chain stores like Surugaya and Super Potato. Has games, consoles and cables of all major distributors. Also accessories like soundtracks, books and peripherals.

Recently Osaka retro-gaming culture has taken a big hit with the loss of Retro Games Zarigani, which caught fire and was destroyed in January 2025. This was home to many legendary game cabinets, an iconic venue a stone-throws away from the Tsutenkaku tower in downtown Osaka. Lets hope the owners can salvage enough cabinets, rebuild and re-open.

Retro-gaming shopping

It may be more difficult to find good deals on retro gaming stuff. Local retrogamers are voicing concerns that the stampede of retrogame hunters from the US and Europe have plucked retrogaming stores clean, leaving very little behind. Which means the gold rush of cheap hidden gems and rare games have been mined out. Of course, with retro-gaming having high demand and limited supply, sought-after titles can be pricey.

Opened in 1981, the Royal Game Center features rare, vintage arcade games/cabinets from the late 80s and 90s. It’s a hidden retro-gaming gem in Osaka, and makes Kumagumi’s Top 5 list of the best arcades in Osaka.

Some of the arcade cabinets available: R-Type, Gradius IV, Pang, Metal Slug, Street Fighter II, Dig Dug(!), Galaga, Pengu, Virtua Striker 2, Elevator Action. I think I caught sight of Taito’s Renegade cab (the original Japanese version: Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun with high-school delinquents instead of gangster tough-guys) in video footage.

• Junkudo Bookstore
  • Has 5 floors worth of space in Chaska Chayamachi, big selection of English books and stationery