Walking in Tobita Shinchi 2: Day and Night on the Main Street] Enjoying “Nishinari Morning” at a backstreet spot and enjoying Shinchi in the daytime

This is a sequel to “How to Walk in Tobita Shinchi,” which appeared in “FRIDAY GOLD” on April 25. Akira Ikoma, former editor-in-chief of the sex industry magazine “Ore no Tabi” series, who fell in love with the new charms of Tobita Shinchi in his previous report, walks the area again. This time, he observes the main street of Shinchi, “Main Street,” from morning to night, and also introduces some “hidden gems” that you should stop by when you visit Shinchi.

Morning set includes alcohol!

Phew~, that’s good. A cold highball soaks into my dry throat. The nice thing about being on the road is that you are allowed to drink alcohol in the morning. This is especially true if the destination is Tobita Shinchi, a “man’s paradise. Nishinari Morning: Draft beer or shochu or shochu or highball, hard-boiled egg and one dish (350 yen), 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the sign posted on the front of “Nishinari Shaba Nariya,” a popular tavern in the Tobita Hondori shopping street that runs north to south on the west side of Tobita Shinchi. Alcohol was on the menu as part of the morning set meal.

Intrigued by this morning set meal, I entered the restaurant a little after 9:30 am. There were five customers sitting at the counter, who appeared to be local old men, enjoying “morning drinks” while watching TV. Inside the counter, a young female staff member in a black T-shirt, which looked like the store’s uniform, was working briskly. It looks like a girls’ bar.

I take a seat at the end of the counter, order the “Nishinari Morning” and a highball. 5 minutes later, a highball, boiled egg, and a small bowl of stewed pork chops appear in front of me. I eat slowly, a little at a time. It was delicious. The relaxed atmosphere of Nishinari and the sense of openness from the trip make for a great snack, and the drink tastes even better than it did in the morning.

We pay attention to the old men lined up in front of us, and quietly finish our food and drink and pay the bill. It ‘s 390 yen,” says a young female staff member with brown hair. When I asked her if the price was the same as the 350 yen on the signboard, she replied, “The price has been changed to include tax since April. But it is still 390 yen. I was surprised to see such a low price. And they are open from morning.

Tobita Shokudo, located at the southernmost end of the Tobita main street, was also inexpensive. I ordered the Tonjiru set meal for 500 yen. In these days of high prices, I expected a one-penny set meal to consist of tonjiru (pork miso soup), rice, and one other dish, but I was surprised when I saw the set meal in front of me. It was a huge portion. A large bowl of tonjiru was served with a heaping portion of rice. In addition, two oden dishes, pickles, and side dishes are included. The rice can be refilled at any time. Add a small draft beer for 400 yen and you have a total of 900 yen to eat and drink for a “senbero” meal for less than 1,000 yen.

While watching the live broadcast of the Hanshin vs. Hiroshima night game on the TV inside the restaurant, customers came in one after another. This place is also popular. Restaurants in the Tobita Shinchi area seem to have a good customer base. The staff carrying the food are all young women. It is a kind of “girls’ teishoku-ya” (set meal restaurant) befitting an old brothel district. Behind the counter hung a curtain depicting an oiran (courtesan) from the Yoshiwara district in the Edo period, which was impressive for a restaurant operating so close to a red-light district.

In addition to the two restaurants mentioned above, there are many other quality eateries in the Tobita Shinchi neighborhood. The shopping arcade is dotted with long-established coffee shops, as well as Western and Chinese restaurants. All of them are inexpensive, hearty, and very cost-effective. Stop by before or after your day out and enjoy Osaka’s downtown gourmet cuisine.

Tobita Shinchi, Main Street Morning – Afternoon

Main Street is the representative street of Tobita Shinchi. About 60 ryotei restaurants are lined up on both sides of the street. The main workers are mainly girls in their 20s and girls in their 30s who look like they are in their 20s, and together with Seishun Street one street to the north, it is known nationwide for the high visual quality of its girls. The area can be divided into three sections: “from the highway,” “in the middle,” and “from the clock tower. In particular, the “middle” area is flanked by two longitudinal streets (Kitamon-suji and Yamashita-suji), where about 30 shops compete with each other, and tends to be the most crowded, with a high level of girls. This time, we made a fixed-point observation of this main street. I observed the street as much as time allowed, from a rest stop under the elevated railway tracks on the west side and from a bench at the clock tower on the east side.

Early in the morning at 7:55 a.m., there were hardly any people on Main Street. Local elderly people were resting their feet at the rest stop under the elevated railway. Last night’s bustle was a lie. It was exactly like “after the dream,” “after the party,” and “after the festival. Inside the new area, there are only locals. It seems to have become a morning strolling course.

At 9:30 a.m., a nearby ryotei restaurant on the elevated floor opens for business. Other ryotei also have girls coming to work. Many of the girls come dressed as inconspicuously as possible, with hats on their heads, masks over their mouths, and modest jackets and socks, hiding their faces as much as possible. On the other hand, there are girls who come to work wearing expensive-looking beige coats, black Chanel bags, and all kinds of brand-name clothes. There were also girls who came to work in casual clothes such as jeans and pink Y-shirts. Aunties were also coming to work. They were all dressed in very ordinary clothes.

A thin, gray-haired senior man with a knapsack on his back was walking down the street. Behind him, a small, shaved-headed elderly man with a cane is shopping at a ryotei restaurant. An elderly man on a red rental bicycle with small wheels gets off the seat and pulls the bicycle as he enters the main street from under the elevated railway tracks. I was surprised to see an elderly man pushing his way down the street in an electric senior car. Senior men’s sex drive is amazing. The strongest anti-aging would be to come to Tobita. Just by looking at young and cute girls, they are sure to secrete male hormones and become young again. When I saw elderly men dashing down the main street in the afternoon, I was impressed and said to myself, “They’re doing it!

It is past 11:00 a.m. and the main street is deserted. Occasionally a customer comes in, but they are all alone. There are only a few ryotei open, so I proceeded down the street at a brisk pace. Tobita in the daytime has a relaxed atmosphere. At a rest area under the elevated railway tracks, an old man was taking a nap on a bench.

Around noon, I enter the street. My eyes meet those of a girl who looks like Masami Nagasawa sitting on the stile and rail of a ryotei restaurant in the “middle” of the street. She is, without question, extremely cute. I was able to have an “adult relationship” with such an idol-like girl in the daytime. When our eyes meet, I feel like I’m going to be sucked in and go up. Once you start playing at Tobita, no matter how much money you have, it’s never enough.

There are also foreign customers in Tobita during the daytime. There is a hippie-looking white guy with long hair and a big belly. An Asian couple walks along the north gate. A well-dressed South American-looking man strolls down the street with a glistening, oily complexion. Come in, please, come, hear,” says the auntie. When I see a foreigner, the caller’s words are in English. Foreigners often wear sunglasses. There was even a young black man in a knit cap riding by on a bicycle.

At 1:45 p.m., an ambulance pulled into Main Street. With its siren blaring, it spoke over the loudspeaker, “Ambulance coming through,” and turned left as it exited the street just before the overpass. In front of the clock tower, two “green men” were riding by on their bicycles to enforce parking violations, and a light blue garbage truck was passing by. I strongly felt that Tobita Shinchi is both an “other world” and a “normal town.

In the second part, “Soaking in hot water to reset your body and mind, and being enchanted by the mysterious twinkling of Shinchi in the evening,” we will observe the main street in the evening and introduce some of the public bathhouses and cheap hotels in the area.

Click here for the second part “[Walking in Tobita Shinchi 2: Main Street Day and Night] Soak in hot water in Tobita and be enchanted by the mysterious glimmer of Shinchi in the evening”.

Click here for Part 1: “Japan’s most glamorous entertainment district that attracts men from all over the world,” a thorough guide to walking in Tobita Shinchi.