Osaka — The Nation's Kitchen

In the Edo period, rice and goods from all over Japan flowed into Osaka by sea, and from there spread throughout the country. Where people move, money moves; where money moves, tastes become more refined. In this city, known as the "Nation's Kitchen," cuisine and hospitality were honed through trade.
Kaiseki, recognized as one of the world’s finest cuisines, hidden kappo restaurants tucked away in alleyways, steaming udon eateries, and takoyaki on Dotonbori—Osaka’s gastronomic culture is unique in that refinement and popular flavors meet on a single plate. The spirit of merchants, who measure success not by price but by the joy of their guests, still lives on in the kitchens of this city. To travel through 400 years of Japanese history by way of its food—that is Osaka.