Aozora-ichiba: Osaka’s Fresh Fish Market
Tokyo is famous for its fish market in Tsukuji, and rightfully so! However, you may not know that Osaka has its own fish market near Rinku town, which is famous for its many outlet shopping malls. The Aozora-ichiba fish market is small compared to the Tsukuji Outer Market in Tokyo, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in price and quality of fish!
Fish isn’t the only thing you can buy at the fish market. There’s also a stand that sells the most amazing fruits and vegetables that are as expensive as they are delicious! Although, it depends on what you want to buy, of course. For example, a bundle of ten giant asparagus cost over ¥2000, ($12.52US).
Also, you can buy Japanese knives, dishes, chopsticks, etc… at the fish market.
One of the best things you can buy at the knife stall, besides wonderful Japanese high-quality knives, of course, is the oil for protecting your steel knives from rust.
The oil is a reasonable price, only about ¥770, ($4.82US). Applying the oil to your steel Japanese knives will protect them from rust, which will ruin the blade.
Another great thing about visiting Aosora Ichiba, is the amazing seafood restaurants on site. There are restaurants on the second floor as well as right inside the fish market on the first floor.
The restaurant inside the fish market closes early, so if you want to try it, make sure to get there early.
I recommend the Yellow Shrimp restaurant on the second floor. It is a big restaurant with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. The service can be a little slow at times. However, the food is AMAZING!
In the spring and summer, you can grill fresh seafood on little grills on the deck outside the restaurant on a patio. When the weather is bad or in the winter time you can grill seafood inside the restaurant on a little hibachi-style grill. The seafood is the freshest that you will ever have in your life!
My wife ordered the sashimi lunch set, which was only ¥2100, ($13.14US).
I ordered the shrimp tempura lunch set. It was only ¥1800, ($11.26)!
We also ordered a tuna sashimi plate to share between the two of us. All of the food was absolutely delicious! The shrimp tempura was plump, juicy, and perfectly cooked, a 9.8 out of 10! The only negative, for me, was the rice was a little over-sauced, making it a little salty. For all of the sashimi, I would rank a 9.9 out of 10. The only negative, for me, was the fact that they didn’t offer regular soy sauce for the sashimi, they only provided the sashimi soy sauce, which is sweet. I am not a big fan of sweet soy sauce personally, otherwise, it would be a perfect 10 for me! The fish was super fresh and melted in your mouth! Awesome!
In the fish market that day, my wife and I purchased two whole tuna! The first one cost us ¥2500, ($15.64US), and the second one cost me only ¥1300, ($8.14US)!
They will also do all of the butchering and filleting of the fish for you if you ask them to do it. All of the staff are very friendly and accommodating for anything you want. Also, if you get there later in the afternoon around 3:00 or 4:00, cause it closes around 5:00 p.m., that is when you get the best deals on the seafood because they’re trying to sell everything every day!
Until next time, cheers!
