Old prostitutes plying their trade in the shopping arcade, just past the official red light district where the younger girls serviced anonymous Johns behind curtained entry ways. Ancient mom and pop stores selling rice, coffee, kitchen utensils, various foods and textiles. Hidden, grungy izakayas full of blue collar workers getting a leisurely drink with an assortment of foods that you might not be able to find anywhere outside of the area.
One of my favorite things to do was to explore the alleys, choosing an izakaya at random. The smaller ones that were hidden away were many times the ones that were most worth hunting down, due to the ambiance, the cool people, the special drinks made by the bartenders, the amazing food done in just a certain way and having a seat to the table of your own private Idaho (I don’t know what this means, but it seems fitting).
Anyhow, enough ramblings. This link inspired me to reminisce about times out with friends and family and times, that I roamed the alley ways solo, at some of my favorite haunts:
http://www.wineterroirs.com/2008/03/torys_bar.html
One could spend a decade in southern Osaka and just barely scrape the surface of the microcosms that make up this area, each with a slightly different culture, language and atmosphere.
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