Another fantastic tour with Culinary Backstreets - Had a brilliant time wandering the streets and markets of Osaka with our guide Yuka. We saw parts of the city and got an insight into local food culture that we'd never have gotten by ourselves. We spent around 5 hours on the tour, and the pacing was perfect ... really relaxed, friendly and approachable. We saw (and tasted) local specialities from tofu to fugu, and everything in between. We've done three different tours with Culinary Backstreets now, in three different countries, and they've all been great!

Great way to start our holiday - Miyo's tour was very interesting and definitely worth doing, we learned a lot about Osaka and the local food culture. It was a great way to get to know Osaka and be confident eating out around the city. The food was delicious and we got a good variety of tasty options. Miyo is a wonderful friendly and insightful guide.

Best food tour in Osaka! - My wife and I had a wonderful experience on this delicious food tour. Not only did our guide, Miyo, take us to the most delicious spots in Osaka; she connected us on a personal level with our tour group and local community. Celebrating our honeymoon. Miyo, provided us the unique opportunity to introduce us with Mr. Nishi, the tea master at Shiki Japanese Tea with some of the most authentic and high quality tea in the world. Thank you for this wonderful experience!

Best tour! - This tour was one of the highlights of our trip! Miyo, our guide, was the sweetest, most knowledgeable and truly loved her town which made the tour so special! 10 out of 10 would recommend!

Incredible Umami Flavors of Osaka - Miyo was an incredible guide who showed us Osaka on a nearly private your since our group was small with just the two of us and two shadow guides. She took us through the science of umami and proceeded to take us to taste all the umami rich foods the city has to offer. She even got us some pork buns and special cheesecake from places so popular with long lines so she got them in advance and we tried during a breakfast stop to start the journey. We tasted all the classic foods like okonomiyaki, yakiniku, takoyaki, and more, and ended the tour with a small gift. I could not recommend this tour or our tour guide more. Please take the time when you visit to book this tour if you are a foodie who wants to taste and learn all about Osaka cuisine.

If you enjoy food, this tour is a must! - This is our fourth Culinary Backstreets Tour, and it absolutely did not disappoint! Our guide, Miyo, made us feel so welcome and did such an incredible job explaining the food philosophy of Osaka while weaving in local history and great food stops. Even better, she solicited our tastes and tailored the stops very thoughtfully, ensuring that we always got to enjoy every stop. We were never hungry on this tour, and Miyo made the tour fly right by! Thank you so much!

Amazing food and cultural tour (mainly food) with an amazing guide! - We did the tour in Tokyo and loved it so much that we thought we should do it in Osaka. Once again it was a great tour with great food and best of all a great tour guide. Our guide Yuka showed up with many bags on her arms that were full of surprises. She had displays to show us, food/drink to share and a special treat (bouncy cake) for the newly wed couple on our tour. I highly recommend Culinary Backstreets tours. They are a great way to see a city and enjoy the food since they mix a little culture tour with the food tour. They also seem to select the best tour guides. Nikki in Tokyo and Yuka in Osaka love sharing their passion for their country and the local food.

A great way to be introduced to Osaka-food and history. - We had a (too short) trip to Osaka recently and booked the Umami tour with Culinary Backstreets after a friend recommended the tour in Tokyo. With our limited time, having help seemed particularly important. Following Miyo around was like meeting an old friend for lunch(es) as she took us to her favorite spots. Her pride is Osaka is apparent along with her cultural and historical knowledge. She is accommodating, thorough, and so nice. The costs was well worth it, the pace was great and we felt like we had a better grasp of what Osaka is and the delicious food it has to offer. Thanks Miyo!

Osaka Food Tour - Miyo was excellent - very knowledgeable and happy to explain lots of cultural nuance. Great spot choices too!

Far beyond 5 stars!!!!! - This Culinary Backstreet Food Tour of Osaka was THE best food tour we have ever taken in all of our travels so far! The food was incredible, but our guide, Yuka, was beyond amazing and made our day total perfection. Her love of her city and all the amazing and unique food treasures were nothing we could have ever imagined before this tour. Not only did we experience some of the best bites available in Osaka, but we did it with a very knowledgeable guide who had a culinary background AND a personal relationship with these small local families who have been honing their craft and producing amazing food for years. The places she took us to were small and quaint but the "best of the best" because most only do a few menu items, but they do them extraordinarily well with love you can taste in every bite. You will eat things that will amaze you on every level of deliciousness, which is why they call it umami... Not only did she introduce us to these foods, and the beautiful people who create these amazing bites, but she taught us the history of umami, how it works, and why why Japan holds such an amazing place in the food world with such great understanding of flavors and textures and the essence of where all of these incredibly fresh foods come from. If you are looking for one of the most delicious and unique food experiences in all of Japan, do not miss this Osaka tour and make sure you hire our guide, Yuka Takeuchi. And, do not be put off by the cost of the tour; it was more than worth the price of the ticket! Everything was so thoughtfully selected and perfectly prepared; the portions were beyond generous, and the pace was so well thought out as we walked through the markets among all the local people enjoying their day! We know we ate items of such quality and rareness that we will never probably have an opportunity to taste like that again. Absolutely ethereal! Not only did Yuka guide us through bite after bite of Osaka umami, she spoke to us all with such a joyful personality and interest, making the day even more special with stories, history and especially learning of each other's cultures. When the tour concluded and she learned we were continuing our travels to Tokyo for several days afterwards, she offered wonderful suggestions for that area as well, which we considered so above and beyond. She really cares about what she does, and the people she meets and that is worth so much more than money can buy. We cannot thank her or Culinary Backstreet Tours enough. Absolutely top of the line first class company. Many thanks to everyone we met along the way, as we leave Osaka with memories for a lifetime!