Gastronomic day in Osaka "Kitchen of Japan"

Osaka thoroughly earned the nickname tenka no daidokoro, "the kitchen of the country", and a self-guided day focused on its gastronomy is one of the best ways to understand why. The gastronomic route starts at the Kuromon Ichiba Market, where among 150 stalls you can try fresh seafood, wagyu and traditional sweets; from there you head to Shinsekai, the retro district where kushikatsu (fried skewers with the sacred rule of "don't dip twice") is local religion. The afternoon ends in Dotonbori, the great stage of takoyaki and okonomiyaki, where the restaurant terraces and street stalls mix with the neon. There is no fixed price for this day: each stop is up to you. Indicative budget: 2.000-4.000 yen to cover tastings at Kuromon, a portion of kushikatsu in Shinsekai (from 150 yen a skewer) and a portion of takoyaki and okonomiyaki in Dotonbori. The subway conveniently connects the three areas. Bring clothes you don't mind getting sauce on, an appetite and a charged IC card for the journeys.