Osaka’s Destination for Food Travelers

Located in the Namba area, Sennichimae Doguyasuji (which roughly translates to “Cooking Tools Street”), or simply Doguyasuji, is Osaka’s Kitchen Street selling wholesale kitchenware to professionals and home cooks alike.

The History of Doguyasuji

The path of Doguyasuji was once a pilgrimage route between Hozenji Temple down to Shitennoji Temple. In the 1880s, general stores opened up to sell antique furniture to merchants. Then in 1912, a great fire destroyed everything which resulted in rebuilding the area to introduce specialty wholesale shops.

Doguyasuji was completely destroyed again in 1945 by aerial bomb raids. After the warm, the demolished area became a black market for illegal goods. Then in the early 1950s, the city cleaned up and revived the street.

The arcade we see today was built in 1970 along the 150-meter shopping arcade. Since 1985, the street celebrates Doguyasuji Festival every October 9 with the stores offering massive sales for that day, week, or month.

Today’s Doguyasuji resembles its rebuilding from 1970. It’s fascinating to realize how professional cooks and traders today are walking the same exact steps and shopping for similar items as the traders of decades past

 

How to Get There

Doguyasuji can be accessed from either side of the shopping arcade. You can either tell your taxi driver, “Doguyasuji” or you can simply walk to the arcade from one of the nearby subway stations:
– 3-minute walk from Namba station
– 5-minute walk from Nippombashi station

If you are already in the Minami area, you can also easily walk over from there:
– 6-minute walk from Kuromon Market
– 10-minute walk from Dotonbori

The starting point of Doguyasuji from the inner arcade side. Nearby, you will find entertainment areas, locals shops, and restaurants all within walking distance. The romanized signs will ensure that you can easily find the 150-meter covered arcade
Doguyasuji from the other end of the arcade which crosses with the major rode. If you take a taxi, this will be your starting point (next to the chain restaurant, Ringer Hut). It does not matter which side of the arcade you start with because it is short enough to walk back and forth

 

Wholesale Restaurant & Kitchen Supplies

Today, Doguyasuji continues to house specialty kitchen and restaurant shops under its covered arcade. The stores sell a massive range of goods such as knives, pots, pans, ceramics, wooden trays, utensils, restaurant signs, appliances, and plastic food.

The main target audience for the shops is professional cooks and restaurants. However, tourists are also encouraged to purchase with the Duty-Free shopping offer for orders over $50 USD.

Even if you do not plan to buy anything, walking through Osaka’s Kitchen Street is a complete learning experience. You will discover how there are pans and utensils for almost every specific Japanese dish, like these two kinds of pans for pork katsudon and chicken oyakodon
Samurai swords and kitchen knives. Japan offers cooks a knife for every single purpose in the kitchen. Here in Doguyasuji, you can find high-quality specialty knives as well as legendary samurai swords
Doguyasuji also sells plastic food to take home as souvenirs (like iPad stands, phone cases, key chains) and also as restaurant displays. The plastic food shops are not as extensive as Tokyo’s Kappabashi Street
Along the way, there is a shop selling pots and pans and this delicious cup of coffee. The coffee takes a while to brew and serve so that is your time to view the products at the shop. Don’t fret about time because the taste of the cup is well worth the wait

 

Osaka’s Kitchen Street vs. Tokyo’s Kitchen Street

Osaka’s Kitchen Street is often compared to Tokyo’s Kitchen Street. While both cities offer locals and tourists a massive selection of kitchenware, they also have major differences.

Span of Shops: Tokyo’s Kappabashi Street spans 600 meters of block after block of specialty stores, whereas Osaka’s Doguyasuji spans just 150 meters in one single block. With its longer stretch of space, Tokyo’s stores are mainly one level. Osaka’s stores are mostly multiple levels to make up for the one-block shopping arcade.

Goods & Supplies: Kappabashi Street offers a general range of kitchenware for most Japanese dishes and even international cuisines. Doguyasuji sells many appliances and utensils catering to local regional dishes, such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

Watch my videos below featuring both Osaka’s Kitchen Street and Tokyo’s Kitchen Street. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my latest vlogs!

 

Website & Hours

Sennichimae Doguyasuji
Main Website
Daily, 10am to 6pm (for most stores)
 
 
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