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

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.