MOOF is a whole one-bedroom apartment, a five-minute walk or less from Tsuruhashi Station, for up to 4 guests. Tsuruhashi is Osaka's food neighbourhood for yakiniku, kimchi and Korean street food. This guide covers what the area eats and how to enjoy it, with links to each source so you can check the details before you go.
Tsuruhashi food culture: a market that grew from the post-war black market
Osaka's tourism site describes Osaka Tsuruhashi Market as six markets and shopping streets with about 800 stores around Tsuruhashi Station. You will find yakiniku restaurants, Korean food stores, traditional clothing shops, dried goods and a wholesale fish market. The market's roots go back to the black market that opened after the war, which is why the streets feel so tightly packed.
*Photo: Ken OHYAMA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons*
More: Osaka Info: Osaka Tsuruhashi Market and the market's website.
Yakiniku in Tsuruhashi: grilled beef and offal next to the station
Yakiniku means beef and offal grilled over an open flame and dipped in sauce. Osaka's tourism guide says Osaka is thought to have more yakiniku restaurants than anywhere else in Japan, and calls Tsuruhashi a yakiniku paradise where the smell reaches you as soon as you leave the station. The guide also explains how the dipping-sauce style developed in Japan, which is useful if this is your first time.
*Photo: Akahito Yamabe, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons*
Read the basics in Osaka Info: yakiniku and horumon.
Kimchi, chijimi and street food: Korea Town and the market
Miyuki-dori, Osaka's Korea Town, is a shopping street between Tsuruhashi and Momodani stations with about 150 shops. Korean grocery stores sell kimchi, chijimi (savoury pancakes) and other items, and the tourism site lists the walk from Tsuruhashi Station as about 10 minutes. Hours and holidays differ from shop to shop, so enjoy it as a relaxed walk rather than a fixed-time visit.
More: Osaka Info: Miyuki-dori (Korea Town) and the Korea Town website.
Okonomiyaki: Osaka's everyday favourite
Osaka-style okonomiyaki is made from batter with cabbage and, most often, pork, seafood or both, cooked on a hot plate. In Osaka the ingredients are mixed into the batter, and many shops have the staff cook it for you. Osaka's tourism guide also notes that grated mountain yam makes the batter fluffy.
*Photo: Rickard Törnblad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*
Read more: Osaka Info: Osaka okonomiyaki.
After eating: Osaka Castle and Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine
Osaka Castle Park is served by Morinomiya and Osakajo-koen stations on the JR Loop Line, the same loop line that serves Tsuruhashi. The castle's official site says the present keep is the third one, rebuilt in 1931 with donations from Osaka's citizens.
*Photo: Syced, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons*
Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine is about five minutes on foot from the nearby JR and subway stations, according to Osaka's tourism site. It is known as a birthplace of magatama bead making.
*Photo: nnh, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*
Official pages: Osaka Castle Park, Osaka Castle keep, Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine and Osaka Info page.
Where to stay near Tsuruhashi Market: MOOF
MOOF has a queen bed in the bedroom, a queen-size sofa bed in the living room, a large fully equipped kitchen, and a projector with a 176 cm screen for a quiet evening after a day of eating. A few practical points:
- Check-in from 15:00 (late arrival is fine) and check-out by 11:00.
- Up to 4 guests in the one-bedroom apartment.
- Every guest registers with a photo ID before arrival, as Japanese law requires.
See MOOF for photos and details, or check your dates and the full total. When you book on iconhotel.jp, the room rate is 10% lower than on booking sites, applied automatically. Planning a cold-season trip? Read our winter Osaka travel guide, or browse all our stays in Osaka.
FAQ
How far is MOOF from Tsuruhashi Station?
MOOF is within a five-minute walk of Tsuruhashi Station.
Can I walk from Tsuruhashi Station to Korea Town?
Osaka's tourism site lists the walk from Tsuruhashi Station to Miyuki-dori (Korea Town) as about 10 minutes.
What are the opening hours of the shops and restaurants?
They differ from shop to shop, so check each shop or the sites linked above before you go.
Is it cheaper to book MOOF on iconhotel.jp?
Yes. When you book on iconhotel.jp, the room rate is 10% lower than on booking sites, applied automatically.
