Sennichimae Doguya-suji Shopping Street

(Current Situation) The Sennichimae Doguya-suji Shopping Street is lined with specialty stores offering a complete selection of cooking and kitchen tools. Osaka is known as the “Kitchen of the Nation,” and is home to many chefs who have honed both their hearts and skills.Doguya-suji is home to shops stocked with tools designed to meet the needs of these professionals. It originated in Meiji 15 (1882), when antique dealers and general merchandise shops lined the path from Sennichimae near Hōzen-ji Temple to the pilgrimage routes leading to Shitennō-ji Temple’s Daishi and Imamiya Ebisu Shrine.During the Taisho era, the street gradually evolved into a district of wholesalers and specialty manufacturers. After the war, in Showa 45 (1970), an arcade was constructed, transforming it into the current 150-meter-long shopping street.On October 9—known as “Tools Day”—the “Doguya-suji Festival” is held, featuring a hugely popular “Gara-pon” raffle where shoppers can enter with a 500-yen purchase. The “New Year’s Tools Market,” held in conjunction with the Imamiya Ebisu Festival on January 10, is also a staple event.Visitors can also try their hand at making food samples and glass etching. With an increasing number of restaurants, the shopping street has become a place where it’s fun to shop, fun to look around, and fun to eat.