Tennoji & Abeno Area: A Hidden Treasure Trove for ‘Asian Ingredients’!
The Tennoji and Abeno area, Osaka’s southern gateway, presents a sophisticated urban facade with towering shopping malls and department stores. Yet, venture a little further, and you’ll discover a deep, multicultural tapestry where international students and foreign residents shop daily.
This time, we’ve carefully selected three must-visit ‘Asian supermarkets’ in the Tennoji surrounding areas (Abeno, Shinsekai, Momodani), perfect for local food enthusiasts eager to recreate authentic Asian flavors at home, and for long-term residents seeking tastes from their homeland.
From a stylish select shop that captures the cutting edge of Taiwanese trends, to a truly multicultural market where Japanese is rarely heard, and a Nepalese ingredient store that will delight any spice curry enthusiast. We’ll introduce the unique charm of each store and provide a real shopping experience!
Shennong Life Kintetsu Abeno Harukas Store
📍 Address: Kintetsu Main Store Tower Building 10F, 1-1-43 Abenosuji, Abeno Ward, Osaka, 545-8545, Japan
Located on the 10th floor of Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Main Store, ‘Shennong Life (しんのうせいかつ)’ is the first overseas branch of a popular Taiwanese lifestyle shop. Its sophisticated wooden interior is lined with traditional Taiwanese household items, charmingly packaged foods, and rare seasonings, offering the exciting feeling of souvenir shopping during a trip to Taiwan.
Highly favored by locals and repeat customers are Shennong Life’s original all-purpose condiments. Particularly, the ‘Fish Roe Paste’ (魚卵醤), made from pickled hoki roe, boasts an addictive popping texture and a sweet-and-spicy flavor, making it extremely popular as a rice topping. The store also offers a rich selection of items that elevate everyday home cooking, such as dried noodles for tossed dishes and spicy broad bean paste (辣豆板醤) with a hint of spice. You’ll also find ‘Tianyi Pastry’ pineapple cakes, known for their exquisite flaky pastry and moist pineapple filling, and classic Taiwanese beer.
The store also houses ‘Shí Xí’ (食習), a restaurant where you can enjoy Taiwanese home cooking, and ‘Oolong Market Cha Shìchǎng’ (Oolong Market 茶市場), offering over 100 varieties of Taiwanese tea, allowing you to leisurely savor Taiwanese cuisine before or after your shopping. While some items might be out of stock due to import restrictions, the product lineup is regularly updated, making it a spot where you’ll always discover something new, no matter how many times you visit.
Asia Supermarket Ajishou Ichiba
📍 Address: Eiko Christ Building 1F, 3-2-4 Ebisunishi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0003, Japan
Located just one station from Tennoji in the deep Shinsekai area (around Ebisucho and Dobutsuen-mae stations), ‘Asia Supermarket Ajishou Ichiba’ is a multicultural supermarket specializing in Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean ingredients. Its uncompromising authenticity, with no parking, no restrooms, and hardly any products adapted for the Japanese market, truly offers a glimpse into ‘local reality.’
Its greatest appeal is the overwhelming sense of ‘genuineness.’ The meat counter, offering every cut of pork imaginable, and the shelves packed with authentic spices like star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, five-spice powder, and Szechuan chili peppers are truly impressive. Hot pot bases are also abundant, and you can find ingredients difficult to source in regular Japanese supermarkets, such as lamb. It’s dubbed the ‘super deep version of Asian Kaldi’ and attracts keen attention from local spice cuisine lovers.
There’s little Japanese signage inside, and the staff’s service style differs significantly from typical Japanese ‘omotenashi,’ possessing quite a strong character. However, this only adds to the thrilling experience of feeling like you’ve stumbled into an overseas local market. If you’re looking for an item not displayed, they might bring it out from the back if it’s available in their online shop, so don’t hesitate to ask. The fact that they accept cashless payments like PayPay is also a small but welcome bonus.
Dynamic Nepal Mart
📍 Address: 1-10-31 Momodani, Ikuno Ward, Osaka, 544-0034, Japan
Located in the Momodani shopping street, Ikuno Ward, adjacent to Tennoji Ward, ‘Dynamic Nepal Mart’ is a specialty store packed with ingredients from Nepal, India, and South Asia. Stepping inside, you’re greeted by a vibrant array of curry spices, countless varieties of beans, basmati rice, and other ethnic ingredients.
Here, you’ll find all the basic spices needed for trendy spice curries at surprisingly affordable prices. The extensive selection of halal foods is particularly impressive, with halal-certified instant ramen available for as low as 60 yen each – prices that make you forget about inflation. For international students and foreign residents, this store is truly a lifeline.
What’s even more interesting is the chaotic array of products and services beyond just groceries. You might spot what appears to be a Nepalese-made diamond pressure cooker at the storefront, alongside used smartphone repair and sales, and even international money transfer services. It gained local TV attention in Kansai for having an ‘attractive foreign staff member resembling Shohei Ohtani,’ and also features a charming elderly female staff member fluent in Osaka-ben, making it a warm community hub deeply integrated into the local area. The local touch of offering lightning-fast delivery by electric bicycle to nearby areas is also delightful.
Summary: Tips and Know-how for Shopping for Asian Ingredients
Asian supermarkets in the Tennoji and Abeno areas clearly specialize in certain countries or genres. If you want to experience sophisticated Taiwanese culture, head to ‘Shennong Life.’ For authentic Chinese and Vietnamese ingredients to enjoy hot pot, ‘Ajishou Ichiba’ is your spot. And if you’re passionate about making spice curry, ‘Dynamic Nepal Mart’ is the place to be. It’s best to use them according to your specific purpose.
When you go shopping, you’re likely to buy strong-smelling spices, frozen foods, or leaky kimchi, so we highly recommend bringing sealed containers or zip-lock bags, and a large cooler bag. Furthermore, some stores maintain the exact service style of local markets abroad, so if you embrace the mindset of ‘this is Asia in Osaka’ and allow yourself to enjoy the exotic atmosphere, your shopping experience will be many times more enjoyable!
