Is there ever a good time to be under a train? Well, yes. If it happens to be in Tottuan, which is directly under the loop line in Osaka. Every time a train rolls by you hear it, feel it — but not in a startling way — it's just another part of the rhythm and ambience of a great little izakaya (Japanese pub).
When it comes to restaurant design there are at least two distinctive schools: glasnost, or openness and transparency, and its opposite. Tottuan in Fukushima — the gullet of Osaka — is firmly in the glasnost category. It's a squat boxy restaurant with big windows that look out onto the street on one side, a snack bar at the entrance and a thoroughfare on the other side. Inside the glasnost theme continues; there's no barrier between the kitchen and the diners, just everyone busy at work.
We started on the stools outside. Tottuan is busy throughout the night, but the waiting time generally isn't too long — in our case, about 15 minutes. When we did get seats, they were at the counter and under the friendly eye of the young boss. My one criticism came from the moment we sat down; the stools are a bit too short for the counter. It's only ever so slightly, but it's a weird feeling, as if you're a 5-year-old again.
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