hidden gem

Higashiosaka City

A mecca for food tours and fortune telling! Enjoy everything from gourmet food to day trips to hot springs on the Showa-era retro approach to Ishikiri Shrine

2024.12.20

Approximately 30 minutes by train from Namba Station

"One-Day Local Tour" introduces hidden Osaka spots only known to those in the know. This time, we'll be introducing the Ishikiri Sando Shopping Arcade in Higashi-Osaka! Han Sang-hee, a Korean resident of Osaka, will guide you through Ishikiri Shrine, beloved by people as a god who heals illnesses, and the road leading to the shrine, lined with retro Showa-era shops.

Ishikiri Sando Shopping Street in Higashi-Osaka City is a popular spot where you can enjoy shopping and eating, with a row of Showa-era retro shops lined up from Ishikiri Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line to Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine (hereinafter referred to as Ishikiri Shrine). It is also famous as a "holy land of fortune-telling."

Recently, swords such as Ishikirimaru and Kogitsunemaru, which are owned by Ishikiri Shrine, have appeared as characters in the online game "Touken Ranbu," and many young people are visiting the shrine on a pilgrimage.

This time, we will introduce a model course starting from Shin-Ishikiri Station on the Kintetsu Keihanna Line.

Shin-Ishikiri Station is about 30 minutes from Osaka-Namba Station (Kintetsu Nara Line) and Namba Station (Osaka Metro Chuo Line). It is also about 30 minutes from Umeda Station (Osaka Metro Midosuji Line). It is also easily accessible, with Morinomiya Station (Osaka Metro Chuo Line), one of the stations closest to Osaka Castle, a popular tourist spot in Osaka, only 15 minutes away. It is an easy station to stop by between Osaka and Nara.

＼Today’s Guide／

Han Sang-hee

Originally from Korea, I've been living in Japan for six years. I fell in love with Japan while traveling, and moved to the country on a working holiday to work as a hotel staff member in Higashi-Osaka. I obtained a work visa and now work at an accounting firm. My hobbies are taking photos of cityscapes and collecting Japanese character goods.

Circling the grounds 100 times! Ishikiri Shrine's "Ohyakudo Mairi" (100-step pilgrimage) to pray for recovery from illness

"I used to live in Higashi-Osaka, but this is my first time coming to Ishikiri, which is close to Nara Prefecture!" says San-hee. First, we visit Ishikiri Shrine, about a 10-minute walk from Shin-Ishikiri Station.

Ishikiri Tsurugiya Shrine, affectionately known as "Ishikiri-san," is known as the god of denbo (swellings), and many people visit to pray for recovery from illness. It is said that if you pray repeatedly, your wishes will come true, and the "Ohyakudo Mairi" (100-step pilgrimage), in which you walk back and forth between the 100-step stones on the grounds 100 times, is also famous. In front of the main hall, there is a camphor tree that is about 500 years old, which has been designated as a natural monument of Higashi-Osaka City.

Visitors make 100 bows between the two hundred-degree stones.

The Ohyakudo-himo is a bundle of 100 strings used to count the number of times a 100-step pilgrimage is performed.

Hold the bundled part in your hand and fold one string each time you pray. Once you're done praying, place it in the offering box.

Also, to the left of the torii gate of Ishikiri Shrine is Suijinsha, a pond where the god of water is enshrined, and there are many turtles. In the past, it was said that if you wrote your wish on a live turtle shell and released it into the pond, your wish would come true. Nowadays, people make their wishes by offering ceramic turtles at a shrine in a different location.

A stone shrine where you can gently release a ceramic turtle.

Turtles released into a pond. It's so relaxing to see them swimming.

Inorigame (prayer turtle) for the fulfillment of wishes and Oreigame (thank you turtle) for giving thanks.

Write your wish on a piece of paper and stuff it into your stomach.

There is no custom of 100-step pilgrimage in Korea, so it was surprising to see so many people walking around the temple grounds! It seems like it's important to stay hydrated while doing so. The turtles were so cute that I almost wanted to take them home with me.

Ishikiri-Tsurugiya Shrine

1-1-1 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka-shi, Osaka, 579-8011

Google maps

Opening hours: 24 hours (visiting dates are listed on the official website)
Phone number: 072-982-3621
Official website

Rice crackers and mugwort skewers. Eat Ishikiri specialties along the approach to the shrine

After praying, take a stroll through Ishikiri Sando Shopping Street, which is about 1 kilometer long and lined with over 100 stores. Enjoy some Ishikiri gourmet food!

A map containing information about Ishikiri Sando Shopping Street, placed in various locations along the shopping street.

The first thing I picked up was a rice cracker from Kobai-yaki Otaya, which stood out in the shopping district. The gourd-shaped rice cracker had the word "Ishikiri" engraved in large letters.

The ingredients are only flour and sugar, giving it a simple and gentle taste.

Kobaiyaki Otaya

1-5-26 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:00-15:00
Closed: 9th, 19th, 29th (excluding weekends and holidays)
Phone number: 072-982-3621

Next up is Ikutaya's mugwort grilled skewers. The moment you put it in your mouth, the aroma of mugwort fills your mouth, and the freshly baked mochi becomes soft and chewy. It's delicious as is, but it's also fun to try it with toppings such as sauce, soybean flour, coarse bean paste, and smooth bean paste.

Mugwort rice cakes are also available in Korea, so I imagine many people like the skewers here. But this is the first time I've ever seen something so soft!

Ikutaya

1-1-16 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:00-16:00
Closed: Fridays (please inquire if it rains)
Phone number: 072-986-6145
Official website

If you come to Ishikiri, you can't miss the mugwort udon and potato oden!

Next, we recommend the mugwort udon noodles at Yamatoya, a local specialty, for lunch in Ishikiri. Many visitors to Ishikiri Shrine suffer from illnesses, so they started serving udon noodles because they are easier to eat than mochi. This long-established restaurant has been in business for about 70 years and has been run by three generations, and the owner is also the chairman of the Ishikiri Sando Shopping District Promotion Association.

We also had mugwort udon and another specialty, potato oden. The potatoes, seasoned with dashi stock, were sweet like sweet potatoes and chunky, making them very satisfying to eat.

The mugwort udon has a sweet mugwort aroma, and the Kansai-style broth is so delicious you'll want to gulp it down.

Mugwort tempura fried right in front of the store.

Oden infused with the flavor of dashi.

The crispy mugwort tempura, which is popular as a snack to eat while walking around, is made from mugwort that grows wild at the foot of Mt. Ikoma and is harvested and stocked from around spring.

Since many people visit Ishikiri to pray for good health, they don't use ingredients that are easily cut, such as octopus or beef tendon. This shows the owner's consideration.

Oden is also available in Korea, but it's mainly made with fish paste. This was my first time trying potato oden. It's also nice to be able to take a relaxing break while looking out the window at the Japanese garden.

Yamatoya

1-7-56 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: Weekdays 9:00-17:00, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 8:00-17:00
Closed: Open year-round
Phone number: 072-986-0979
Official website

You won't be short of souvenirs! Walk around the city and check out the unique shops

After lunch, we strolled along the approach to the shrine, which continues on for a while. As we walked along the shopping street, we came across a variety of shops, including an old-fashioned toy store, a shop selling hard-baked rice crackers, and small goods.

Musashiya is a long-established toy store that has been in business for 70 years. It is also the only store that Ikoma Confectionery Honpo wholesales Rainbow Ramune.

This rare Ramune candy is rarely available anywhere else. We were greeted by the lady with a lovely hairstyle (she said she was embarrassed to take pictures).

Musashiya

1-4-21 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:00-16:00
Closed: 9th, 19th, 29th
Phone number: 072-981-3870

Nunoichiya is a shop that sells the hardest baked rice crackers in Osaka. There are various theories, but it is said that they were highly valued as portable food for ninjas because they are hard to break and can last for over six months.

The owner demonstrated how to split the katayaki and let us try some!

Fabric Shop

1-7-58 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:00-15:30
Closed: 9th, 19th, 29th
Phone number: 072-981-3245
Official website

Yasuda Shoten Jun sells clothing accessories and crafts. The 86-year-old wife still runs the store, and it's fun to chat with her. Daruma dolls are popular with foreigners.

Be sure to check out the rare and unique crafts, such as sparkling beckoning cats decorated with jewels and beckoning cats with floral patterns.

Yasuda Shoten Jun

1-4-12 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 9:00-16:00
Phone number: 072-981-3725

"Shichimi Togarashi Chinmidou" has been in business for about 60 years. You can purchase flavorful handmade shichimi togarashi. The rich flavor of ichimi togarashi and the fragrant powdered sansho pepper are also popular.

They will mix it to your taste on the spot.

Ishikiri Sando Shopping Street is not only a great place to eat, but also a great place to find souvenirs. There are so many unique shops that time will fly by just walking around.

Seven-spice pepper, Chinmidou

2-7-31 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:30-15:30
Closed: Thursdays, 9th, 19th, 29th (open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, closed the following weekday)
Phone number: 072-982-4913
Official website

The place with the most fortune tellers in Japan!? I actually tried fortune telling

As you continue up the approach, you will see many fortune tellers. The Ikoma mountain area was once a place of Shugendo (mountaineering asceticism), and it is said that Ishikiri, located on the slope of the mountain, was a natural place where fortune tellers, who could be considered religious figures among the people, gathered. Another theory is that because Ishikiri Shrine is home to a god who can cure illnesses, people who wanted to seek fortune telling also began to visit, and the number of fortune tellers there increased.

The approach to the shrine, which is said to be "the largest concentration of fortune tellers in Japan," has a slightly mysterious atmosphere.

Since I had the chance, I decided to actually get my fortune read!

Yumi Ikeda is a fortune teller with 26 years of experience who runs the "Fortune Telling Salon Orange." Originally interested in fortune telling, she attended a vocational school and has been working as a fortune teller in Ishikiri for nearly 20 years. She became independent in March 2023.

First, we will use the Four Pillars of Destiny to predict your personality, characteristics, and turning points in life based on your date of birth. It turns out that Sanhee is someone who can walk on her own path and has strong connections with her family and ancestors.

The teacher's specialty is psychic tarot readings. Sang-hee was surprised when her inner voice told her to continue living in Japan or return to Korea.

Ishikiri is known for having trustworthy fortune tellers no matter which store you go to, but it seems that compatibility with the fortune teller also matters, so it's best to respect your own intuition.

It was my first time having my fortune told in Japan, so I was a little nervous, but the fortune teller kindly listened to my concerns and helped me reexamine my life. It seems like it's best to choose a fortune teller that interests you and a shop and fortune teller that you think will be a good fit for you.

Fortune Telling Salon Orange

2-2-22 Higashiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Business hours: 10:00-17:00
Closed days: Irregular holidays?
Phone number: 072-976-4066
*Only available in Japanese
Official website

Enjoy a panoramic view of the Osaka Plain from the terrace! Hotel Seiryu's day-trip natural hot springs

After a long walk, relax your body and mind in the natural hot springs at Hotel Seiryu. It is located just over 20 minutes up the hill from Shin-Ishikiri Station.

The great thing about this hot spring is that they offer day trip plans as well as overnight stays. Towels are also available for rental, so you can enjoy the hot springs empty-handed.

Many hot springs prohibit tattoos, but at Hotel Seiryu, you can bathe as long as the tattoo is small enough to be covered with tape!

Sanhee, who has a stylish tattoo on her arm, can rest assured!

Take some waterproof tape and cut it to the appropriate size.

Just hide your tattoo like this!

After the hot spring bath, head to the Sky Terrace for a panoramic view of the Osaka plain. The view from a height equivalent to about 70 stories above ground is spectacular, day or night.

This is also a recommended spot for train enthusiasts, as the Kintetsu and Hanshin trains run directly underneath.

I had no idea there was a natural hot spring in Higashi Osaka! Enjoying the view from the hot spring and terrace is a reward for climbing the hill to the shrine. There are Korean-speaking staff at the front desk, so you can enjoy the hot spring with peace of mind even if you don't understand Japanese.

Hotel Seiryu

1-11-12 Kamiishikiricho, Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Google maps

Closed: Irregular holidays
Phone number: 072-981-5001
Official website

Bonus: What makes it the third largest in Japan? The mysterious "Ishikiri Daibutsu"

On the way to Hotel Seiryu, you'll find the Ishikiri Daibutsu. It was built in 1980 by the fourth generation owner of Sakamoto Kampo Pharmaceutical, known for its Aka Mamushi (Red Viper) medicine.

It says "third in Japan," but even the locals don't know what that means.

Ishikiri Sando Shopping Street is a place where faith has been alive since ancient times. Pray for good health at Ishikiri Shrine, enjoy delicious food along the Showa-era retro approach to the shrine, get a glimpse of the future with your fortune-teller, and then relax in the hot springs. Come experience a day that will refresh both your body and mind!

A person involved in this article

Text: Okajima Ayano

Photo: Akira Hirano

Edit: Rie Tomimoto

Direction: NINGEN Editorial Department（NINGEN Inc.）

*The information listed is current as of November 2024. Please check the website of each store or facility for the latest opening hours.

\Please stop by while you're there!/

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