As NY has Little Tokyo, Osaka has its own district. The area is called Turuhashi, and even though I've heard the name for years, I'd never been there before. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine took me there for the first time. We only explored the shopping arcade, but I'd love to visit another nearby area called Koreatown sometime soon.

It was fascinating to look around a long, narrow arcade with countless tiny, slightly shabby-looking shops.

There were crowded, so the food displayed must be dusty. I thought I didn't want to buy any of it, but looking around was so much fun. I had no idea most of the food there. The smell of the food, people speaking Korean, and all the unfamiliar products from the shops made the area feel very exotic.

You can see pig's feet in a picture below.

There were so many kimuchi shops that I asked my friend if she knew a shop that sold delicious kimuchi. Fortunately, she did, so we headed to there.

On the way to the shop, I saw a poster advertising kimush sandwiches. I doubted if they were tasty, but according to my friend, they're worth trying.

The shop in the picture below was selling ginseng, which I've heard really good for your healthy. My favorite yakuzen (medicinal cuisine) restaurant sometimes serves it, which is bitter.

We saw traditional Korean clothing called chima jeogori in several shops.

We visited there on Sunday, so lots of shops were closed. My friend said we should go there on weekdays.

We finally arrived at the kimuch shop my friend had recommended, which was crowded with lots of customers. We had to wait for our turns. I'd never seen so many different varieties of kimuch before. I bought a simple cabbage one.

I cooked a cold noodle dish with the kimuchi I bought that evening. While eating, I shared my experience with my husband. The are is a bit confusing to navigate for me because there are so many narrow alleys and tiny shops, so I'd love to go back and also visit Koreatown with him sometime soon. I'd love to eat Korean BBQ then.

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