On my final night in Japan, I had the absolute pleasure of embarking on the Deep Osaka Nighttime Foodie Tour. Exploring with Pinpoint Traveller was an immersion into the real culture and nightlife of this vibrant city.
Why I decided to do a Pinpoint Traveller food tour in Osaka
Straight off the bat, if there’s one city I’d recommend doing a food tour in Japan it’s Osaka. As the certified cooler sibling of Tokyo, Osakans have a distinctly stronger appetite for drinking, food and dare I say it – fun 😉 I am always looking for tours that take travellers to places that as a tourist you’d never find. Or even if you came across, may struggle with the language or cultural barrier. Every stop we made on Pinpoint ticked those boxes. From an Izakaya restaurant packed with businessmen letting loose, to a whiskey bar lined with bottles from floor to roof – the stops were the definition of hidden gems.
What to expect on a Pinpoint Traveller Tour
“Ohhhh that makes sense now” moments
Having done my fair share of tours in the past, you get into a rhythm of the information you can expect to hear from a guide. Not on Pinpoint Traveller. From love hotels to “illegal” gambling, quirky grocery stores to drinking culture, expect the unexpected. What I particularly enjoyed was the fact that most stories Kevin shared, were things that I had noticed but hadn’t thought to Google.
New foods, that put you outside of your comfort zone
Over the course of 4 stops, we were treated to some of the best food and drink I tried in Japan. Shashimi, oysters, katsu, fishcakes, tofu, crab, beef, octopus and salads. I literally lost count of the rounds of Izakaya (Japanese tapas) we had at the first stop, all delicious of course. Come to this tour with an empty stomach because you will be leaving very full. I also highly recommend upgrading to the Kobe beef package. I wanted to try it before I left Japan and it was just as scrumptious as I hoped it would be. While you’ll be eating some classics, most of the cuisines we tried I had not come across (especially the mixed pot of udon). I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say Kevin also got us all to try a particularly strange dish 😂
Beer, sake, whiskey, highball, mojito… you name it
Drinking is completely optional but highly recommended. 😛 If you partake, expect to leave tipsy… at the very least!
A tonne of laughs
Our guide Kevin was the real star of the night. There is an art to balancing history, food, drinks and chat all while guiding through the alleyways of Osaka. Kevin does it with effortless enthusiasm and is a laugh a minute. His infectious charisma put everyone in good spirits for the night ahead.
How to book a food tour with Pinpoint Traveler
Follow this link to book the Deep Osaka Nighttime Foodie Tour or this link to see the full range of experiences Pinpoint has on offer.
I could not have asked for a better final hurrah on Japan trip (and if you don’t take my word for it, check out the stellar Tripadvisor Reviews!)
If you have any questions about the tour or Osaka in general, feel free to comment below or send me a message on Instagram.
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