There are three famous landmarks in Dotonbori.
First is The Glico Man, the world famous icon of Osaka.
Second is the toy-looking but fully functional Don Quijote Ferris wheel.
And third, is the big animatronic snow crab mounted on the signboard of Kani Doraku’s main store. Its moving claws and vibrant colours giving it an amazingly lifelike appearance.
The Wife and I are huge crab fans. Whether it’s at home in Singapore or overseas during our travels, we actively search for places that serve the crusty crustacean.
And in Osaka, when it comes to crab, there’s no bigger name than Kani Doraku (かに道楽).
During our previous visit, we thoroughly enjoyed a crab kaiseki lunch there. This time, we wanted to try something different — their kaniman, or steamed crab buns.
After spotting the snow crab signboard from afar, we slowly strolled over to the shop.
Despite the supposed popularity of the buns, there didn’t seem to be a long queue. In fact, there wasn’t a queue at all.
As I got closer, I could see “本日完売” prominently displayed on a sign, highlighted in yellow for added effect.
If you read kanji, you’ll know that they are the four most dreaded words you’ll ever see as a tourist.
A more detailed notice beside it said: “Kaniman sales start at 11:30am” in Japanese, among other things.
Learning from our mistake, we reached Kani Doraku at 11:15am the following morning. Only to be greeted with a long and snaking queue.
Starting from the cashier at the main entrance, down a flight of stairs, stretching across the length of an entire ramp, round the corner of the building, and then some.
I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I dutifully joined the end of the line, keeping my fingers crossed that supply would keep up with the overwhelming demand.
The queue started moving once the clock struck 11:30am, and I slowly inched my way forward.
Thankfully, there was a purchase limit of four kaniman per person, and the steamers remained well-stocked by the time I got nearer to the finish line.
Each bun was going for a relatively pricey ¥500, but that didn’t stop customers from snapping them up eagerly.
I was tempted to max out my quota and buy four, but sanity prevailed and I got two instead.
Armed with the precious pair of fluffy white buns, we found a nearby bench to savour the steaming hot kaniman.
The shop’s name was proudly seared on the surface of each piece, but we hardly noticed it as we hurriedly ripped open the fantastically fuwa fuwa skin.
Once the amount of crab in the filling was revealed, it was obvious why they charged what they charged. The generous lumps of flesh smelled, and tasted, fresh and not at all fishy.
Two small packets of Kewpie mayonnaise was provided, and we squeezed some out to try. It was wasabi-flavoured and paired well with the filling, giving the bold crab flavour a softer edge.
The mayo was worth trying out once, but we quickly went back to having the kaniman au naturel and savouring the unadulterated crabbiness.
Despite the initial intent of slowly enjoying our buns, they were wolfed down in just a couple of minutes. I was regretting not being greedy earlier, so that we could double our enjoyment.
My consolation was that we succeeded on our second try, and didn’t have to come back another day to make it third time lucky.
Kansai Winter 2024
Trip planning: Washoku, nihonshu and historic Kyoto (Kansai Winter 2024)
Our last trip to Kansai was in October 2018. We barely scratched the surface of what the region had to offer, which is why we’re heading back to Osaka and Kyoto again next year.
Kicking off our Kansai vacation with Hanakoireki on Singapore Airlines
I noticed that the Hanakoireki was available on our flight from Singapore to Osaka. I had always assumed that it was only offered on flights out of Japanese cities, but was happy to be proven wrong.
From now on, Fraser Residence Nankai is where we’ll stay in Osaka
Having a spacious and homely environment to slowly start our days, and comfortably wind down our nights, made for a relaxing vacation in a bustling city.
Coffee at Komeda’s is a nice way to start the day
Each order of coffee before 11am comes with a complimentary set of bread and toppings, offering good cost/performance for a simple but filling breakfast.
Back again at Osaka Kaiyukan for a magical marine adventure
Compared to other aquariums we’ve visited in Singapore, Sydney and Hong Kong, there’s just something extra special about the immersive experience at the Kaiyukan.
The giant Tempozan Ferris wheel is actually kinda scary
Standing at 112 metres, it’s equivalent to 42 stories of a typical HDB flat. Putting it into perspective, that’s almost double the height of the building we live in.
Doteyaki at old-timey Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho
Doteyaki was on our shortlist of local Osaka specialties to sample, and we had somehow serendipitously stumbled upon it.
Design Pocket Osaka makes amazingly lifelike food samples
After having your fill of Japanese street food at Kuromon Market, you can stroll over to Design Pocket and buy plastic versions of the exact same items as souvenirs.
Shabu shabu and sukiyaki for one at Shabuwara Namba
I can see why Shabuwara has such a high rating on Google Maps. It’s especially friendly for solo travelers, since each diner gets their own individual pot.
Foraging for food at Kuromon Market, the kitchen of Osaka
Kuromon has gotten a bad rap in recent times, and has been labelled as an over-priced tourist trap. But if you steer clear of the expensive seafood, there are still many value-for-money gems to be found there.
Supamakettos are tourist attractions too
If Forrest Gump had made a trip to Japan, he probably would have said: “Life is like a supamaketto. You never know what you’re gonna to get.”
Going down the gachapon rabbit hole at #C-pla+
I sumimasen-ed my way inside and found a sea of gachapon machines. Wall-to-wall and three storeys high, there must have been hundreds of them packed into that small space.
The oishii asagohan at Yawaragi in Shinsaibashi
At night, Yawaragi is your typical salaryman izakaya. But at the break of dawn, it transforms into an atypical breakfast spot, famous for tamago dashimaki prepared à la minute.
