Tenma Izakaya Backstreets is an izakaya restaurant in Tenma And Tenjinbashi, Osaka.
Editorially verified June 5, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: The alleys are parallel to the main shopping arcade and one turn away; no tourist signage.
Private tour · 4 hours
Discover Osaka’s best on a private 4-hour tour exploring Dotonbori, Namba, and Shinsekai with a local guide. Enjoy iconic street foods and visit a historic shrine for ...
Private tour · 2 hours
Explore Osaka’s vibrant Tenjinbashisuji Street and Tenma Market while sampling local flavors. Finish your walk with a cultural visit to Osaka Tenmangu Shrine.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Explore two local sides of Osaka through Nakazakicho’s retro alleys and Tenma’s lively shopping streets, hidden lanes, and everyday neighborhood scenes.
Address: 2-5 Tenma, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0043
The world's first Michelin-starred izakaya, unknown outside Japan despite a star held since 2010. No English signage; booking requires Japanese.
Why locals goNo English signage and no online reservations; you must call in Japanese or use a hotel concierge.
A corrugated-iron food alley under Umeda station, serving ramen and kushikatsu since 1945 at counters 30 metres from Osaka's most expensive street.
Why locals goThe entrance is a narrow passageway in the station foundation; no map shows it accurately.
An enclave of vintage shops and independent cafes north of Umeda, where unchanged 1960s wooden shopfronts house a less Instagrammed coffee scene.
Why locals goNakazakicho sits behind the train lines north of Umeda and requires a deliberate 10-minute walk from Hankyu station.
A 1970 basement kissaten under Umeda's Ekimae Daiichi Building, designed on a space theme and certified by Osaka's living-architecture museum.
Why locals goThe entrance is in a basement under the Umeda business district; there is no ground-floor signage visible from the pavement.
The lanes behind the Tsuruhashi market arcade hold family yakiniku restaurants serving offal over charcoal at ¥150 to ¥300 per skewer from the 1960s.
Why locals goThe main Tsuruhashi market is visited; the back alleys behind it are not on any tourist map.
The dozen izakayas lining Hozenji Yokocho are visible from Dotonbori but entered by only a fraction of tourists. Moss-covered walls and lanterns.
Why locals goThe alley is ten metres from Dotonbori canal but down a passage easily missed without looking for it.
