An evening in the neighbourhood where Osaka locals actually go to drink.
| Time | About 3 hours |
| Group size | Max 5 guests |
| Price | 10,000 yen / person |
| Day | Mon, Tue, Fri |
| Start | 17:20 at JR Tenma Station |
WHY THIS TOUR
Skip the tourist traps. Tenma is a few stops from Osaka Station, but almost no tourists drink here. Your guide Nanami (lives in Osaka, lived in Australia for 3 years) takes you to three tiny, old-school sake bars with no English menus. She orders for you, explains what you’re drinking and eating, and shows you how locals do an evening out. Small group, so you can actually talk.
- Three real local bars, not places made for tourists
- 3 drinks (1 beer, 2 sake) and 10 small plates, all ordered for you
- Max 5 guests, with an English-speaking local who lived abroad
- For travellers aged 20 and over who want the real Osaka
THE EVENING
17:20 Meet at JR Tenma Station
Outside the ticket gate. Look for Nanami holding a “MELLOW JAPAN” sign.
Two minutes from the station. We start the way locals do: a glass of cold bottled beer and four Osaka-style fried bites. Standing, elbow to elbow with the regulars.
A liquor shop with a tiny standing counter at the back. One small glass of sake picked for you, and two pieces of oden (simmered daikon radish and beef tendon). If you like what you drank, the shop sells small bottles to take home (at your own cost).
Finally, we sit down. A no-frills, old-style drinking hall where the sake comes in a carafe. Four small plates: sake-steamed clams, garlic fried chicken, dote-yaki (Osaka’s beef tendon slow-simmered in miso), and, if you dare, grilled tuna eye.
Around 20:10 Back to JR Tenma Station
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- English-speaking local guide for about 3 hours
- 3 drinks: 1 glass of beer, 1 small glass of sake (100 ml), 1 carafe of sake (180 ml)
- 10 small plates across the three bars
- Soft drinks instead of alcohol if you prefer. Just tell us when you book
- Menu may change slightly with the season and what’s fresh that day
NOT INCLUDED
- Extra drinks or dishes beyond the set menu
- Sake to take home
- Transport to and from JR Tenma Station
GOOD TO KNOW
- Small plates to nibble with your drinks, about the size of a light dinner. Come hungry, but not starving.
- All guests must be 20 or older (the legal drinking age in Japan). Please bring photo ID.
- Stops 1 and 2 are standing bars. Comfortable shoes recommended.
- Stop 3 allows smoking indoors. Stops 1 and 2 do not.
- Stop 3 has a Japanese squat toilet. There is a Western-style toilet at stop 1 and 2.
- Some dishes contain seafood, wheat and soy. Tell us about allergies when you book.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users.
- Runs rain or shine. We are indoors most of the time.
PRICE AND BOOKING
10,000 yen per person. Private small group, maximum 5 guests.
Available Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 17:20 start.