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The shopping street of Fuse, a downtown area that has flourished since the Taisho era, is now overrun with yokai (supernatural creatures)...? We introduce a recommended model course from Gin-san, a guide to Fuse, for a "1-Day Local Tour" that will take you to a secret side of Osaka known only to those in the know.
The Fuse area* is located at the western edge of Higashi-Osaka City. Since the station opened in 1914 (Taisho 3), this town has flourished as a transportation hub connecting Osaka and Nara. It is the leading commercial center in Higashi-Osaka City, a leading city in manufacturing, and is also known as the town of Ebisu, as it is home to the Fuse Ebisu Shrine, which enshrines the god of business prosperity.
*In 1967, Fuse City, Kawachi City, and Hiraoka City merged to form Higashi-Osaka City, so the place name "Fuse" no longer exists administratively.
Around Fuse Station, just a 10-minute train ride from Kintetsu Osaka Namba Station, you'll find the Kintetsu Department Store directly connected to the station, as well as shopping malls and home improvement stores. The shopping street, which has been around since before the war, is lined with a variety of shops that support the lives of the townspeople.
In the shopping district of Fuse, one event that has been gaining popularity in recent years is "Yokai Gathering," which started in 2017. In this event, participants search for yokai (supernatural creatures) hidden in the shopping district and take pictures of them, with a chance to win prize money in a lottery. It has now become an autumn tradition that attracts more than 3,000 people, from children to adults.
The mastermind behind this is Gin-san, a tattoo artist from Hiroshima Prefecture. Gin-san, who happened to stop by this area when he was 21 and ended up settling down, gave us a tour of Fuse, which he calls the "town of yokai (supernatural beings)."
Guide
Originally from Hiroshima Prefecture, he ran a mobile food truck business in his hometown before moving to Osaka at the age of 21. He happened to visit Fuse, fell in love with it, and decided to settle there. In 2017, he started the event "Yokai Atsume" to revitalize the shopping district. In July 2023, he opened "Biribiri Monster," a specialty shop for yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures).
The shopping streets of Fuse spread out like a network.
The shopping district of Fuse is a network of numerous shopping streets, including "Petit Road Hirokoji" which extends south from the rotary in front of the station, "Flower Road Hommachi" which spreads south from under the elevated railway on the west side of the station, and "Brandori Fuse" which continues north.
This area is also the setting for Keigo Higashino's popular novel, "Byakuyako" (Journey Under a Midnight Sun).
First, let's take a stroll through the shopping street.
Flower Road Hommachi: A charming street full of local hospitality and street food.
Flower Road Hommachi, located on the approach to Fuse Ebisu Shrine, is a charming, old-fashioned covered shopping arcade dotted with long-established shops. It is also characterized by its many eateries offering light snacks perfect for eating on the go, such as okonomiyaki and kamaboko shops that specialize in takeout.
"Niku no Yamajin," a meat shop with over 70 years of history, is popular not only for its fresh meat but also for its more than 30 kinds of fried foods, including croquettes, minced meat cutlets, and fried shrimp. Their bento boxes and hamburgers made with freshly fried items are also excellent.
This is Mitsuya Kamaboko Honpo, a shop specializing in creative fish cakes. They always have about 15 kinds of fish cakes on display, from classic varieties to seasonal ones made with fresh vegetables. The shop is run by a husband and wife and their elementary school-aged daughter, and it seems that many regulars come here just to chat with them.
"Shichimiya Koguma" is a shop where a grandmother blends shichimi (seven-spice blend) to your liking right there on the spot. Originally, the shop sold children's clothing, but due to the declining birthrate, it switched to an okonomiyaki (savory pancake) restaurant. Currently, it continues its business solely by selling shichimi, which it had started at the same time.
Many of the shops are family-run, making this shopping street feel like you're visiting someone's living room.
"Petit Road Hirokoji" remains, only half of it remaining after road widening.
"Petit Road Hirokoji," visible from the Central South Exit, is a shopping street (the western side of the former Hirokoji Shopping Street) that flourished from the opening of the Osaka Electric Railway line between Hommachi and Fuse in 1914 until the period of rapid economic growth. In 1977, road widening was carried out, and the eastern half of the shopping street became a road (now Prefectural Road 172), leaving only the western half.
"Momoya," a long-established Japanese and Western confectionery shop that welcomes customers with a large peach symbol, offers a wide variety of sweets, including daifuku, manju, and okaki, that are perfect for enjoying at home or as souvenirs. Their popular "Mix Juice Daifuku," which encases Osaka's famous mixed juice inside a daifuku, sometimes sells out by lunchtime.
If you head south down "Petit Road Hirokoji," you'll find "Kintaro Bread," a local renowned bakery with nearly 100 years of history. Named with the hope that the children of Fuse will grow up healthy and strong like Kintaro, this family-run shop always fills its shelves with more than 30 kinds of original breads.
In addition, there are many other beloved local establishments, such as "Matsui Musical Instruments," which sells traditional Japanese musical instruments like the shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi, as well as lucky cat figurines, and "Oboko Hanten," a Chinese restaurant with an eye-catching yellow sign.
It's a delightful street just to admire the appearance of the long-established shops. Traditional Japanese musical instruments are popular with visitors from overseas, and they're sure to be pleased if you bring them along.
A sacred place for drinking standing up! Brandori Fuse is full of liquor stores.
"Brandori Fuse" is a shopping street located north of "Flower Road Hommachi," separated by an elevated railway, and stretches for approximately 600 meters from the first to the fourth street. While there are various restaurants, it is a mecca for "kakuchi," a type of bar where you can drink from midday, with many bars and liquor stores.
Awajiya, a casual izakaya characterized by its low noren (curtain), is a popular local spot bustling with people of all ages, from local older men to young people.
Sadly, "Sake Bar Hirata" has closed down, but it was a beloved spot known for its excellent oden (Japanese stew).
I can't drink alcohol, but I love bars. Hirata is my number one choice for a bar I want to see reopen. There are so many people who are sad to see it go...!
"Biribiri Monster," the base for the Fuse Yokai Townization Project.
"Biribiri Monster," which opened in 2023 directly below the base that Gin-san had used as her studio for many years, is a specialty shop selling T-shirts and miscellaneous goods, as well as a place where you can create original rugs and other yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures).
Gin-san has always loved music. On her way to Saitama to get her keyboard instructor's license, she happened to stop by the town of Fuse, fell in love with it, and has been living there ever since, for almost 28 years now...
"I've been running my own business since I was 18 and living in Hiroshima. I ran a food truck for about three years, selling food and drinks from a mobile shop, and once I saved up some money, I thought, 'I'll do what I love.' I was planning to go to a keyboard vocational school in Saitama, but... I ended up settling down in Fuse (laughs)."
Later, because he also enjoyed drawing, he became a tattoo artist, and before he knew it, he was a popular figure in Fuse as a "young man who is enlivening the shopping district." He was consulted by a senior member of the shopping district about what he could do to revitalize the district, which was seeing an increase in vacant shops due to the aging population, and that's how he came up with the idea for "Yokai Atsume" (Yokai Gathering).
"At the time, most of the members of the shopping district association were over 60, so I, in my 40s, was asked to come up with ideas as a young member. I wasn't the type to be good at community development, but I thought I could do it if it was something I liked, so I proposed turning Fuse into a town of yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures)."
There are many precedents for regional revitalization projects using yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures) as a theme, such as Miyoshi City in Tokushima Prefecture, which is said to be the birthplace of the Konaki-jiji (a type of yokai), and the Taishogun Shopping Street in Kyoto, known as "Yokai Street" because of the legend of the Hyakki Yakō (night parade of 100 demons). The headgear used in "Yokai Atsume" (Gathering of Yokai) was created by "Hyakuyōbako," a team of students and alumni of Saga University of Arts that works as a yokai art group. Initially, the event attracted 500 people, but the number of participants has increased year by year through word of mouth, and in 2022 it recorded an attendance of 3,000 people.
"Ebisu-Okami, the symbol of Fuse, is also known as Hiruko-no-Mikoto, and is the origin of Hiruko, who is depicted as a yokai (supernatural creature)." They also thought about whether they could appeal to the "invisible something" that breathes life into this commercial area that has been around since the Taisho era, and the unique people who live in the shopping district, by portraying them as their own unique yokai.
As a new initiative starting in 2023, they are creating yokai (supernatural creature) figurines modeled after the people of Fuse town and putting them into gachapon (capsule toy) machines. The idea is that you can go and meet these "living yokai."
What will you get? "Meet the Yokai" in gacha capsule toys!
These are the yokai (supernatural beings) of Fuse, modeled after people from the town. Gin-san has been scouting important and popular figures from the town, and the number of yokai is constantly increasing. Let's go and meet the people who served as models for these yokai figures.
A fish with a human face that conveys Osaka's traditions...? Fukuzushi, a long-established restaurant that has been in business for 91 years.
The first "yokai you can meet" is Mr. Wada, the owner of Fukuzushi, located very close to the Biribiri Monster. It's a long-established sushi restaurant that has been in business for 91 years, serving not only nigiri sushi but also traditional Osaka-style sushi.
Our recommendation here is "Osaka Sushi," a set of Osaka's famous pressed sushi (box sushi) and rolled sushi. This is a traditional flavor that has been enjoyed mainly in the Kansai region since before nigiri sushi was invented in Edo (Tokyo).
Pressed sushi is popular, but the mackerel sushi, which is only available in winter, is also incredibly delicious!
"Marukou Suisan" is a takoyaki shop that fully embraces its love for sneakers...
The next yokai to be featured is Mr. Terada, the owner of "Maruko Suisan Fuse Store," one of the key figures who, along with Gin-san, is helping to liven up the Fuse shopping district. Mr. Terada is a true Fuse native, with his family having run a business in Fuse since his grandparents' generation. He returned to his hometown from Tokyo and opened his own shop.
They sell their signature takoyaki (octopus balls) made with fresh octopus boiled in-house, right at the storefront. Beyond the door, you might expect to find a dining area, but it's actually a hobby room displaying sneakers.
I always order the off-menu extra-spicy sauce with Kujo green onions. The shop is a full display of the owner's hobbies, with sneakers even on display in the shop window. We're close with the family, and their son, who loves yokai (Japanese monsters), often comes to visit the shop.
A monster wearing a pizza oven imported directly from Naples? "That's PIZZA"
"That's PIZZA" is a popular pizza restaurant run by owner Kajiwara, who trained in Naples, the home of pizza. It is the only place in Fuse where you can enjoy authentic pizza baked in an oven directly imported from Naples.
Next to the shop is "Fuselift!!", a 24-hour unmanned second-hand clothing store, which has a "That's PIZZA" frozen pizza vending machine. Its innovative design has become a hot topic on social media and it has become such a popular item that it has even been featured on television.
That's pizza with corn paste is exquisite! The dough of That's pizza tastes great even when cold, and you can really feel the dedication of the Neapolitan-trained owner, Yohei.
An extremely rare hidden character? Japan's largest Ebisu statue
Among the gachapon (capsule toy) machines filled with yokai (supernatural creature) figurines, one of the most rare and exclusive "hidden characters" is Ebisu-sama, or "Ebisu-Okami." Fuse Ebisu Shrine, affectionately known as "Fuse no Ebisu-san," is bustling with worshippers buying lucky bamboo branches during the Toka Ebisu festival, which takes place every year from January 9th to 11th.
SEKAI HOTEL: A hotel where vacant shops in a shopping district have been converted into guest rooms.
SEKAI HOTEL Fuse is a "town-wide hotel" that renovates vacant houses scattered throughout the shopping district into guest rooms, while distributing dining venues and baths throughout the town. By partnering with surrounding shops and encouraging guests to enjoy the entire shopping district, it is helping to revitalize the town of Fuse.
The affiliated public bathhouse, "Ebisu-yu," is also highly recommended. Recently, many famous YouTubers have been staying there, making it quite a hot topic. Their achievement in elevating the town's shopping district into a tourist attraction is significant!
"Kezakeza," a night spot where you can immerse yourself in alcohol and music.
Finally, let me introduce a recommended night spot. "Kezakeza," which opened in January 2023 in the Miyako-machi shopping street, is a place where you can enjoy drinks and music. Sanappe, who has a good reputation for setting up food stalls at live music venues and club events, and her husband, a musician who also works as a DJ, run the shop, and it has become a gathering place for music lovers. Live events are also held irregularly.
Apparently, she's making oden as a tribute to the now-closed "Sake Bar Hirata"... which will bring joy to Hirata refugees. She'll also be becoming a yokai figure!
Unraveling the mysteries of yokai (supernatural creatures) reveals a new side of the land.
Yokai are strange phenomena that defy human understanding, or extraordinary beings possessing mysterious powers that cause them. They are a product of Japan's belief in eight million gods and its ability to personify, and are one of the cultural treasures that the world can be proud of.
Gin-san visits the birthplaces of yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures) and reinterprets them, then creates illustrations of them. She says that the process of unraveling the mysteries of yokai brings the joy of discovering new aspects of the land.
"You can't just read literature; there are things you can only understand by actually going to the location. I talk to Shinto priests and local people, interpret things in my own way, and then draw pictures of yokai. I make some kind of discovery every time, and it's really fun."
In a downtown shopping district that has existed since before the war, the yokai (supernatural beings) of Fuse live on today. Why not take a walk through the town, meet them, and experience the mysterious extraordinary in someone's everyday life?
*This article has been migrated from "Shittonka Osaka". The information presented is current as of March 2024 and may differ from the present. Please check the official websites of each store/facility for the latest operating status and details.
Photo: Akira Hirano
Edited by: Tomimoto Rie
Direction: Human Editorial Department
