Osaka Kuromon Ichiba Market Travel Guide: Indulge in Pufferfish, Strawberries & Wagyu Beef!

▲ Osaka Kuromon Ichiba Market

Photos & Text by Nathan Yung

A must-visit food haven in Japan, Tokyo’s Tsukiji in Kanto and Osaka’s Kuromon Ichiba Market in Kansai offer the best traditional market experiences. From fresh produce to ready-to-eat meals, seafood to wagyu beef — it has it all. But how do you pick and enjoy them? Follow Natsu on this journey.

Arriving at the entrance of Kuromon Ichiba Market, huh? It might seem a bit quiet at first glance, but that's not the case. It’s actually a long street covered with a roof, making it a great place to stroll even when it’s windy or rainy. As a traditional fresh market, it sells fish, meat, vegetables, and fruits — surprisingly, there’s barely any strong fishy smell, and everything is clean and tidy.

▲ Inside the streets of Osaka Kuromon Ichiba Market

▲ Tuna Head from Nagasaki Prefecture

This is primarily a traditional market serving the daily needs of locals. However, if you want to eat seafood here, Natsu recommends trying fresh pufferfish. The fact that the chain restaurant Genpei has a branch here tells you what to expect.

▲ Pufferfish Chain Restaurant – Genpei

▲ Live Pufferfish

The pufferfish look so cute~~~

▲ Adorable Pufferfish

There are many pufferfish shops in Kuromon Ichiba Market — just pick one that catches your eye.

▲ Kuromon Ichiba Market’s Specialized Pufferfish Shop Minami

Huge pufferfish at reasonable prices, and they even have milt (shirako). A whole fish starts at around 12,000 yen. Meals inside are also affordable, averaging about 3,000–5,000 yen per person.

It would be a shame to visit Japan without trying pufferfish, but don’t tell people you came to eat “river pig.” In Japanese, “pig” (豚) means pig, and pufferfish are called "river pigs" because they make pig-like sounds when caught in nets and frightened.

However, Team Leader Natsu has never personally heard that sound — although she did hear some scary crunching noises while handling lobsters.

▲ Enormous Pufferfish, and It Even Has Milt

After checking out the pufferfish, let’s move on to the fruit section. The way fruits are displayed here is definitely geared toward tourists — big piles and rows for you to admire with your eyes. But fruits are delicate, so please choose carefully. Don’t poke, squeeze, or press them with your fingers — be a considerate shopper.

▲ Fruit Stalls

Japan’s seasonal fruits — winter to early spring is the perfect time to enjoy strawberries and apples. Back in 2016, Natsu took photos of many strawberry varieties. Here’s a small tip for picking strawberries: besides checking for damage or mold, examine the surface “dots” or seeds on each berry. These tiny dots resemble nose pimples (Natsu was scolded by netizens, so no photos here — use your imagination!).

Most importantly, the “most delicious strawberries” usually have an overwhelming aroma. Open the box and let the fragrance hit you — that’s how you judge if it’s worth buying. However, the market stalls are crowded, making it hard to evaluate. You’ll see many tourists hesitating over which to pick. Actually, just pick up a box and smell it. If the aroma is sweet and fragrant, it’s definitely tasty — even a slight tartness is normal. Some boxes indicate sugar levels, which usually means they’re premium varieties. They won’t disappoint — the sweetness level is often off the charts.

When eating strawberries in Japan, you want that perfect balance of slight tartness and sweetness — otherwise, just eat candy.

If you find fully ripe strawberries, go for them. “Fully ripe” means picked at peak maturity — fresh, sweet, but with a shorter shelf life.

▲ Fully Ripe Strawberries

▲ Various Kinds of Strawberries

【Hakuhaku (Light Snow)】A type of strawberry with lighter color — not to be confused with pure white strawberries. It’s a variety known for its fragrance, with a more pronounced grassy taste and slight acidity, yet still with a high sugar content of 13–15. It’s a bit pricier, ideal for those with a discerning palate.

▲ Hakuhaku (Light Snow)

Japan’s strawberry season has also sparked strawberry group-buying crazes among communities. Oops, I’ve written too much about strawberry selection details already. More on the characteristics of Japanese fruits to come soon.

▲Light Snow

After checking out the fruits, let’s take a look at Japanese beef in Japan too. You can eat the beef on-site or go into the shops to have grilled beef (yakiniku). But since I’ve had way too much yakiniku already, I’ll just have two slices here — just for show and to give you a quick intro.

▲Mannoya Honpo – Beef Vendor

▲Mannoya Honpo – Wagyu Beef

The leader of our group, Narchai, “least recommends” buying those boxed sushi sets here — just look around for fun. For affordable sushi, we recommend going to a conveyor belt sushi place and ordering the daily specials; they’re definitely better than the pre-boxed ones. Even as tourists, you should keep your eyes open.

▲Kuromon Sanpei

▲Tuna Nigiri Sushi

Writing too many real things can easily offend people. If you’re tired from walking around, come to this free resting area and play with some capsule toys for fun. Kuromon Market is a really interesting local market — it has a different vibe from Tsukiji. When visiting here, think of it as strolling through a traditional market near your home — enjoy the buzz, but also look deeper.

▲Mannoya Honpo – Beef Vendor

Nathan Yung, leader of “Japan Food Travel Intelligence,” has self-funded and spent millions since 2012. Based on Taiwanese taste preferences and inspired by Japanese cuisine, he’s traveled across Japan with an amazing palate, tasting all kinds of Japanese food. In Taiwan, he also tirelessly reads and cooks hands-on. He is now compiling his experiences into a book, scheduled for release by the end of 2016.

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