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Okonomiyaki at a restaurant in Osaka

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Okonomiyaki (Kansai Style)

お好み焼き Okonomiyaki · Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Photo: Rickard Törnblad · CC BY-SA 4.0

'Okonomi' means 'as you like it': cabbage and various ingredients are mixed into batter and cooked on an iron griddle into a large savory pancake.

Know before you go

  • Don't touch the iron griddle on the table with your hands (it is extremely hot—keep a close eye on children)
  • don't flip someone else's food while it is half-cooked
  • don't waste food—if you've ordered too much you can share, but don't leave most of it

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake cooked on an iron griddle. In the Kansai (Osaka) style, wheat flour, grated yam, dashi or water, egg and chopped cabbage are mixed into a batter, cooked with pork belly, octopus, squid, shrimp and other toppings, then brushed with okonomiyaki sauce, drizzled with mayonnaise and sprinkled with green laver and bonito flakes; this differs from Hiroshima style, where the ingredients are layered. According to English Wikipedia, the word "okonomiyaki" first appeared at an Osaka shop in the 1930s; after World War II, when rice was scarce, this cheap and filling pancake became popular, and households began buying griddles to make it themselves. It is called one of Osaka's "soul foods".

Local customs

  • At many restaurants you cook it yourself on the iron griddle in the table
  • staff will demonstrate or cook it for you. Once it is done, cut pieces straight off the griddle with a small spatula and eat them while hot. It is often ordered with yakisoba (fried noodles) and beer and shared among a group.

Religion & beliefs

  • Okonomiyaki has no direct connection with religion
  • it represents the everyday food culture of ordinary Osaka people and, together with takoyaki and kushikatsu, makes up "konamon" (flour-based food) culture, the everyday taste of a city often called "kuidaore no machi" (the city where you eat until you drop). It is not bound by religious dietary rules, but toppings often include pork.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · Japan

No photography and no eating or drinking in the permanent gallery of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum

Do

  • Put away your camera, food and drinks before entering the permanent gallery
  • For the special exhibition gallery and the children's gallery, check the notices of the day to see whether photography is allowed
  • If you need to eat or drink, go to the areas designated by the museum, such as the outdoor colonnade

Don’t

  • Do not take photos or videos in the permanent gallery
  • Do not eat or drink in the permanent gallery, and do not have meals in other areas of the museum either
  • Do not extend the permanent gallery's photo ban into a photo ban across the entire park

The museum's 2026 visitor guide explicitly prohibits photography, eating and drinking in the permanent gallery and asks visitors to check the restrictions for other galleries separately; follow the museum's instructions on site.

Not yet verifiedSource: Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum: FY2026 visitor guide, page 6

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Japan: At fireworks festivals, don't tape off spots in advance, and never fly drones

Do

  • Spread your sheet where there is actual space when you arrive, leaving room for neighbours
  • Follow police and staff directions and move with the crowd
  • Bring plenty of water and cooling gear to prevent heatstroke
  • Riverbanks have lots of insects, so bring repellent
  • Festivals usually go ahead in light rain, so bring a raincoat
  • Take your rubbish home

Don’t

  • Don't mark spots in advance with tape or spray paint on roads or in parks
  • Don't fly drones
  • Don't use selfie sticks in crowds; the Sumida River festival bans them
  • Don't stop in the middle of the path to watch and block the flow

Spots marked in advance are cleared by the organisers, and flying drones is prohibited by law. City-centre festivals run one-way crowd flows, and going against the flow or stopping can cause dangerous crushes.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Excite News: Sumida River Fireworks, access and viewing guide

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Mixed, open-air and private baths: read the signs, don't stare, never take photos

Do

  • Check the signs before entering; mixed baths are clearly marked, and joining is entirely your choice
  • Most mixed baths are nude only, with no swimwear; some allow or lend special bathing wraps or towels, so follow the bath's rules
  • If you prefer not to bathe mixed, use the separate men's and women's baths or a private bath
  • Outdoor baths are slippery and the temperature changes sharply; hold the handrails when moving
  • Use a private bath only within your booked slot and leave on time
  • Tohoku and other regions still have many therapeutic hot springs with mixed bathing; for long therapeutic stays, follow the ryokan's and your doctor's advice

Don’t

  • Don't stare at other bathers, strike up conversations, or linger to watch
  • Don't take photos or videos in the bath area
  • Don't overstay a private bath; the next group is waiting

Mixed bathing works only because bathers keep their eyes to themselves; staring or taking photos will get you asked to leave, and filming others in a bath may break local law.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Wikipedia (Japanese): Konyoku

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Stay off private land, and ask before photographing children or people

Do

  • Ask parents' permission before photographing their children
  • Ask geiko, maiko, and other working people before photographing them
  • Check for 撮影禁止 (no photography) signs, and ask staff if there are none
  • Photograph trains and stations themselves without disrupting operations

Don’t

  • Do not enter private homes or land for a shot
  • Do not photograph the inside of homes
  • Do not aim your camera at individual passengers on trains or buses
  • Do not step into rice paddies, flower beds, or along railway tracks for photos
  • Do not use selfie sticks or tripods in crowds or dangerous spots
  • Do not chase or stop geiko or maiko

Trespassing on private land is illegal and can get you told to leave or to delete your photos. Shooting in no-photo areas will be stopped, and photographing children is seen as an invasion of privacy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Aichi Now: Sightseeing Manners

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Bathe nude in the onsen and keep your towel out of the water

Do

  • Bathe fully nude, without swimwear or underwear
  • Rest your small towel on your head or the edge of the bath
  • Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water
  • Enter the bath slowly and keep quiet
  • Leave your phone in the locker
  • Keep your first soak short, and dry off before returning to the changing room

Don’t

  • Do not dip your towel into the bath
  • Do not swim, dive, or talk loudly in the bath
  • Do not take photos anywhere in the bathing area
  • Do not wrap your yukata right side over left; that is how the deceased are dressed

Most of these are written bathhouse rules. Breaking them gets you a reminder from staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave. Soaking too long can also make you dizzy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Authentic Local Japan: Onsen Etiquette

Don’t DON'T

  • Don't touch the iron griddle on the table with your hands (it is extremely hot—keep a close eye on children)
  • don't flip someone else's food while it is half-cooked
  • don't waste food—if you've ordered too much you can share, but don't leave most of it
  • don't sit chatting for a long time in small shops
  • don't drip sauce from the spatula all over the table.

Locals appreciate DO

  • People in Osaka appreciate guests who are willing to flip the pancake themselves and chat a little with the staff
  • in Kansai you can simply call it "okonomiyaki", and knowing the difference between Kansai style and Hiroshima style will make locals think you know your stuff. If you do not cook it well, asking the staff for help is perfectly normal
  • most Osaka staff are friendly.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Okonomiyaki restaurants are most concentrated around Dotonbori, Namba, Sennichimae and Tsuruhashi, ranging from long-established shops to chains, and a meal takes about an hour. You can combine it with a stroll along Dotonbori and Kuromon Market. At cook-it-yourself places the staff will help, so there is no need to be nervous the first time. Dietary notes: the batter contains wheat flour and egg and often yam (to which some people are allergic)
  • the fillings are mostly pork, with seafood options too, and you can ask for no pork
  • the sauce and mayonnaise contain wheat and egg, and aonori and bonito flakes contain fish. Vegetarians can ask whether a vegetables-only option is available, but the dashi usually contains fish. Prices and opening hours are as set by each shop
  • popular long-established shops often have queues, so going outside mealtimes is more relaxed.
Sources & verification notes

English Wikipedia: Okonomiyaki

Japanese Wikipedia: Okonomiyaki

MAFF “Our Regional Cuisines”: Okonomiyaki (Osaka Prefecture)

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