Ikkaku is located in a 12-story building with more bars and restaurants than I imagine there are in most towns in West Texas or West Cork. And the building is in Shinsaibashi, which probably has more places to eat and drink than all of Wyoming. This is, after all, Osaka, the city that celebrates over-indulgence with the maxim kuidaore, literally to collapse from overeating.
Ikkaku is a roast chicken restaurant. It's a cut above other chicken joints; the servers are attired in bow ties and they take your coats and ferry them away. It's styled more like a canteen, one that the architect Tadao Ando may approve of with its clean lines, smooth concrete walls, simple signage and the long narrow slit window that minimizes the view of traffic pouring by on the Midosuji thoroughfare.
Unlike pork or beef, Japan has an uninterrupted history of cooking and eating chicken, as it did not fall within the Buddhist prohibition of killing four-legged animals — not all creatures were created equal. Hinadori, the chick or baby bird, is by and large the nation's favorite, the one you're most likely to eat in restaurants or pick up in the supermarket. It's also the overwhelming favorite at Ikkaku. But I didn't order it — well, not immediately.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.