This two-day SEKAI HOTEL Fuse (pronounced "fu-sé") trip was packed! So you don't get lost in a long article, here's a timeline of the highlights of this "shopping street treasure hunt." Want to know why I ended up a full 2 kg heavier? Just keep reading the highlights below:

Stepping off the train from Namba at Fuse Station, I could already see the huge shopping street arcade roof from the platform. For a notorious "directionally challenged" person like me, that was fantastic news: no worries about getting lost, just walk straight along the shopping street.

After only a few steps, I found SEKAI HOTEL's reception. Interestingly, this used to be a long-established women's clothing store called "Ladies Shop Kiyoshima (キヨシマ)," and now, with its old signboard and part of the façade preserved, it has been cleverly transformed into a designer check-in space. The blend of old and new feels very special.

At check-in, the front desk thoughtfully offered Osaka's most iconic drink, "mixed juice." It was hot out, and this cold, sweet juice was so refreshing that I couldn't help but down two glasses in a row. The staff told me Osaka people blend it so as not to waste fruit that's about to get overripe. That waste-not spirit is so typically thrifty Osaka!

Every guest receives an exclusive SEKAI HOTEL passport, the "SEKAI PASS," at check-in, already tucked with a dinner voucher, a breakfast voucher, and a bath ticket for a traditional sento. The hotel also thoughtfully provides a crossbody bag to hold the passport. Just wear it as you walk into the shopping street, and neighbors and shop owners along the way will recognize you as a SEKAI HOTEL guest at a glance, flashing a warm smile and greeting you, and you instantly feel part of the community!

Since I hadn't picked the "eat-as-you-walk (tabearuki)" plan when I first booked, I added the 1,400 yen set on the spot at check-in. The set is wonderfully thought out: it includes 5 food vouchers, a dedicated lunch box, and a pair of chopsticks. Carry the box through the shopping street on your treasure hunt and trade vouchers at shops along the way for all kinds of local snacks, eating as you browse.

Also, if you need toiletries such as a toothbrush, comb, or earplugs, just ask the front desk and they'll prepare them for you. The biggest surprise was that you can play a free "shopping street fortune slip (omikuji)" at check-in. It not only predicts your fortune for the day, but, based on the slip, also recommends hidden gems along the street to explore. I actually drew the super lucky "Dai-Daikichi"! It looked like this trip full of unknowns had gotten off to a perfect start.

After checking in and putting the SEKAI PASS in my crossbody bag, I followed the directions to tonight's room. As mentioned, the guest rooms are scattered in different corners of the shopping street. My assigned room was only about a 3-minute walk from reception, and right next door was a very big LAWSON convenience store, super convenient for late-night snacks or drinks.

The room is on the 2nd floor of the building, but note that it keeps the original old building layout, so there are only stairs. If you've brought lots of heavy luggage like me, carrying it up is a bit of work. Think of it as a pre-dinner workout.

But the moment I opened the door, the fatigue from hauling luggage vanished: this room is really big! Compared with the business hotels in central Osaka where it's hard even to open a suitcase, the space here is much more generous, with a feeling of being at home.

The facilities are thoughtfully designed too. My room had its own toilet, very handy when you wake up at night, and the common area outside also has shared toilets and shower rooms, all quite clean and well-equipped. After dropping off my luggage and resting briefly, I grabbed the lunch box I'd just bought and set out to "eat as I walk" through the shopping street!

After dropping off my bags and lightly touching up my makeup, I eagerly set off with my crossbody bag! For my first stop, I picked the traditional snack shop (dagashiya) that caught my eye while researching before departure and made me think "I absolutely have to go."

The little shop is about a 5 to 8 minute walk from the main shopping street. Though the storefront is tiny, it's crammed with a dazzling array of snacks, a veritable treasure trove! If you're an '80s or '90s kid, you'll feel an overwhelming connection the moment you step in, because the shelves are full of nostalgic snacks we ate as kids.

After a lap, I carefully picked out cola candy, popping candy, and the very nostalgic "candy cigarettes." Though you can occasionally find this kind of snack in supermarkets today, a whole shop densely stacked with childhood memories like this is really rare now.

Standing in the shop surrounded by colorful snacks, I really felt as if time had rewound and I'd turned back into a kid. The only difference was that I, hesitating in front of the shelves over which snack to buy, had quietly grown up.

After buying nostalgic snacks, my stomach started rumbling. After all, I hadn't even eaten lunch while rushing around today, but there was still a while until my 8 PM dinner reservation, so I opened the map to see what was nearby to tide me over.

This is where the 3 restaurant introduction cards I got at check-in came in handy! The cards helpfully include English restaurant and dish descriptions. Anyone who has been to a Japanese izakaya knows those characterful handwritten menus can stump even Google Translate. With these cards, you can just point and order, which is very convenient.

This time I chose a hidden izakaya that specializes in basashi (horse meat sashimi), Jidai Okure (時代おくれ). Just show the SEKAI HOTEL passport hanging around your neck and you can order an exclusive great-value set for only 1,000 yen. The set includes one drink, two small appetizers (depending on what's available that day), and a serving of basashi. The appetizers I got that day were mildly spicy bamboo shoots and marinated egg yolk. Ever since trying horse sashimi in Kyushu, I'd been unable to forget it. In the Kanto area you can usually only find such rich horse meat dishes at specialty restaurants, so finding it at this local shop in Fuse was a big surprise!

I was so greedy that I also ordered 4 pieces of basashi and the house specialty, "horse meat Hitsu-Mabushi." I'd had eel three ways in Nagoya before, but the horse meat version was a first! The rice is topped with smoked horse meat bacon, and the savory flavor goes so well with rice. Mixing in the marinated egg yolk from the appetizer course with the rice is a godly pairing! About halfway through, you pour on piping hot broth and mix the horse meat, rice, and soup together, which makes the texture gentle and smooth, warming and comforting. The most amazing part: after eating so much, I still felt like I wanted more. It was really that delicious.

Though I don't know much about drinks, every dish here goes superbly with alcohol. If you like a drink, this izakaya will be your paradise!

Full and happy, it was the perfect time for a walk to digest. With the map provided by SEKAI HOTEL in hand, I decided to explore the other special spots marked on it along the way, then slowly wander back to my room.

As soon as I stepped out, I first saw an Okinawan restaurant. Finding Okinawan cuisine on the streets of Kansai-flavored Osaka felt refreshing! Then I passed a very special karaoke shop. I heard it's not the usual style of singing alone in a private room, but an open hall: you can sit and listen to strangers show off their voices, or step up and sing for everyone yourself. It sounded super fun! Unfortunately this trip was too packed to have time, but next time I'll definitely take the challenge.

Besides the shops specifically introduced on the map, the whole shopping street hides many local shops full of everyday life. For example, I passed a neighborhood fruit and vegetable shop with stalls full of fresh seasonal produce. September happens to be the season for Muscat grapes, which usually cost at least 700 to 1,000 yen a box in central Osaka, but the price here was a lot cheaper! Seeing such a bargain, I couldn't resist buying a box. Walking slowly along the shopping street, I arrived back at my room. I washed the Muscat grapes, took out the nostalgic snacks I'd bought at the dagashiya in the afternoon, and enjoyed a leisurely after-dinner time in the spacious room.

After recharging in my hotel room, it was time for the dinner I'd been looking forward to! SEKAI HOTEL offers two partner restaurants for guests to choose from: a seafood izakaya (Bo / 房) that specializes in fresh sashimi and sushi, and the long-established teppanyaki restaurant I picked this time, Yoshihiro (よしひろ). After all, I couldn't come to Osaka without having okonomiyaki, so I took the chance to satisfy the craving.

The walk from the room to the restaurant takes just 3 to 5 minutes, which is very convenient. As soon as I pushed open the door, I found the place hugely popular, almost completely full! SEKAI HOTEL guests have an exclusive special menu with 4 set courses to choose from. Since I was traveling solo, I chose the classic STANDARD COURSE B (with two people there'd be more options, but for one person COURSE B is more than enough).

After I ordered drinks, the staff quickly brought a starter salad and teppanyaki beef intestines. The salad with sweet-and-sour dressing was fresh and appetizing, and the teppanyaki beef intestines were prepared wonderfully: rich with fat aroma yet not greasy at all. I loved it!

Then tonight's star, the "mixed okonomiyaki," arrived sizzling hot! A staff member comes to your table's griddle to do the final seasoning of the okonomiyaki. You can choose between a mildly spicy "karakuchi" sauce and a sweet "amakuchi" one, and the mayonnaise comes in regular or wasabi flavors. Finally, they generously sprinkle on aonori and bonito flakes. Listening to the griddle's tempting sizzle and watching the bonito flakes dance in the heat, the double hit of sight and sound really whets the appetite!

The most fun part was that the staff warmly taught me "how authentic Osakans eat it." He said many tourists stick the flat side of the small spatula straight into the middle, but that can't actually cut through the pork inside. The right way is: first use the sharp corner of the spatula to lightly score a line through the middle of the okonomiyaki, then cut along it with the flat side.

That way the cut comes out neat and pretty, and the whole okonomiyaki doesn't fall apart. Also, real Osakans don't move okonomiyaki onto a small plate and eat it with chopsticks. They cut it with the spatula and put the whole piece straight into their mouths! So the way I used to eat it was totally inauthentic.

This time I obediently followed the local's lesson and tried it, and the cuts really came out super pretty, but eating straight off the spatula demands real care so you don't burn your mouth! After this authentic and satisfying okonomiyaki, I drank the last sip of my drink, patted my tummy, and walked out so full I had to hold my belly. Totally satisfied!

After such a hearty okonomiyaki dinner, I was so stuffed that I decided to stroll back to my room and rest. It was getting late, and most Japanese shopping streets close around 8 or 9 PM. Walking back, the shops on both sides had already pulled down their shutters and everything was very quiet. It was completely different from the bustling, lively scene of the afternoon, yet it showed me another unique, serene face of the shopping street.

Back in the room, I lay down comfortably, and just as I was relaxed to the point of dozing off, a thought flashed through my mind: what time does the sento close?! A quick search revealed last entry is at 11 PM, and it was already 10:30! I jumped out of bed in a panic, grabbed a towel, a change of clothes, and my passport pouch, and dashed off to the sento!

Rushing from my room, it took only about 3 to 5 minutes to get there. This is a historic traditional Japanese bathhouse (sento) that has kept its traditional "wood-fired" heating since it opened in Showa 33 (1958)! I heard that if you pass by in the daytime, you can see firewood piled up like a small mountain behind the sento. What's more, all that firewood is recycled construction waste. I never expected such a traditional old shop to be so eco-friendly!

Walking into the bathhouse, I undressed in the changing room and went in to wash my body first. The layout is classic Japanese sento design: neat rows of washing stations on both sides and a spacious soaking tub in the center. Besides the basic hot bath, there's also a hot spring bath and sauna facilities to enjoy (the sauna costs extra).

Soaking in the steaming bath, all my fatigue melted away and my heart filled with mixed feelings. In fact, there used to be traditional sento like this near my home in Tokyo, but as times changed and fewer people came, they've all closed now. I never expected to experience this kind of local, everyday traditional bathhouse again in Fuse, and it felt both novel and deeply nostalgic. I sincerely hope this warm-hearted sento can keep going for a long, long time!

After a lovely soak, of course I had to do as the Japanese do and drink an ice-cold glass bottle of milk in the lobby outside the changing room! The counter sells all kinds of drinks, which you can buy directly or exchange with the "eat-as-you-walk" vouchers you bought the day before. Unfortunately it happened to be a Sunday and the milk was so popular it had already sold out early. So I switched to a bottle of "ramune (marble soda)," which is equally full of traditional Japanese nostalgia. With my body still glowing from the bath, drinking the ice-cold soda as the lightly sweet bubbles burst in my throat was incredibly refreshing!

(Friendly reminder: photography is generally strictly prohibited inside Japanese sento. The bathhouse photos in this article were taken with special advance permission. When you visit yourself, please follow the rules and don't take photos inside!)

Back in my room after the bath and the hot soak, my whole body was warm and completely relaxed from the inside out. Maybe it was from walking all day, or maybe a traditional sento really has magical healing power, but I slept unusually well that night, drifting off almost the moment my head touched the pillow, and sleeping soundly until dawn.

After a good night's sleep, I got up, packed my things, and first returned to Ladies Shop Kiyoshima, where I'd checked in the day before, to check out. After leaving my heavy luggage at the front desk, I was traveling light again, ready for a hearty breakfast and to continue my "shopping street treasure hunt adventure"!

With the breakfast voucher from the SEKAI PASS, there are 3 partner local kissaten (coffee shops) to choose from. Note, though, that since many traditional old shops in Japan allow indoor smoking, the other two happened to be smoking venues (families with children can't enter). As someone not used to cigarette smoke, I naturally locked onto the completely smoke-free FUJI CAFE as today's energizing start.

Walking into FUJI CAFE, the interior was bright, clean, and very modern. Near the door there's a roomy sofa area, a perfect cozy corner for families with kids!

After I sat down, the staff warmly handed me the breakfast menu exclusive to SEKAI HOTEL guests. There are 3 toast sets to choose from, and after some inner struggle I ordered the "shrimp white sauce gratin toast." Besides the main, the set generously comes with a boiled egg, yogurt, fresh salad, and a drink. The portion isn't enormous, but starting the day with this simple yet refined breakfast is absolutely enough! The thick toast, crisp outside and soft inside, topped with plump big shrimp and a rich, silky white sauce, is a "can't-lose" perfect pairing, and every bite is full of cozy happiness.

Incidentally, the "pizza toast" on the menu also looked super tempting, but I only had one stomach that morning, so I quietly noted it down for my next visit to Fuse!

After the hearty breakfast, I found a few "eat-as-you-walk" vouchers left in my wooden lunch box from yesterday, so I decided to make the most of the remaining time and continue my "browse and snack" adventure along the shopping street!

For the first stop, I headed straight to the long-established Japanese confectionery shop, Momoya (モモヤ). Their fruit daifuku are very famous locally! Actually I had already visited yesterday afternoon, but the one I most wanted to try had long sold out. The staff kindly told me this popular daifuku usually sells out very early, so come early if you want it. So right after breakfast today, I went straight there, determined to get my hands on the legendary "mixed juice daifuku (みっくすじゅーす大福)!"

Remember I mentioned at the start of the article that I drank an Osaka specialty "mixed juice" at check-in? This daifuku is like the "dessert version" of that juice! It's packed with banana, orange, and pineapple. The fruit daifuku we usually eat contain just a single piece of fruit, but this "jumbo" daifuku holds far more than 3 pieces of fruit, and some fruits even come in more than one piece!

Taking a big bite, the chewy mochi skin, juicy sweet fruit, and white bean paste filling make for layered textures that are deeply satisfying! Though redeeming this giant daifuku uses 2 vouchers at once, once you've eaten it yourself you'll fully understand why it's so sought after and so worth it!

After finishing that sweet giant daifuku, of course I needed something savory to balance it out! I still had a few vouchers left, so I immediately zeroed in on two more little shops I'd been wanting to try: the fried chicken at Kitchen Friend Rei and the takoyaki at Maruko Suisan.

I took my voucher to Kitchen Friend Rei, where one voucher gets you two pieces of fried chicken. Don't underestimate those "mere two pieces," because the portion is actually very generous! The chicken is marinated in garlic soy sauce until deeply flavorful, and the freshly fried coating is golden and crispy. One bite and the juices burst out, super juicy and truly delicious! Right after eating I was ready to shout "Encore!" and order another, but since I wanted to save room for the next treat, I reluctantly held back.

For my last stop, I headed to Maruko Suisan to redeem the must-eat Osaka classic, takoyaki. One voucher gets you two takoyaki, and the fun part is that the shop gave me two different flavors: one was the familiar classic, loaded with special sauce and bonito flakes, and the other was completely sauce-free, "plain original."

I've eaten takoyaki many, many times, but "no sauce at all" was actually my first time! I didn't expect that without the rich sauce covering it up, I could taste the aroma of the dashi batter itself and the fresh sweetness of the octopus much more clearly. This back-to-basics deliciousness left a really special impression on me!

And just like that, I finally finished all 5 vouchers in my hand! I ate nonstop these two days, and it was absolutely satisfying! (But between us, when I got home and stepped on the scale, I found I'd gained a full 2 kg! I could cry!) Still, gaining 2 kg was worth it for so many fresh local experiences and so many warm-hearted delicious bites. Now I'll just have to exercise diligently to pay off the debt.

By noon, it was time to head back to the front desk to pick up my luggage and set off for Shin-Osaka Station to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

Looking back, this 2-day, 1-night SEKAI HOTEL stay was incredibly rich and fulfilling. The concept of exploring an entire shopping street as if it were a hotel turned an ordinary street into one full of surprises at every corner. I suddenly remembered that on the first day, while strolling through the residential area near the shopping street, I happened to catch the tempting smell of curry drifting from a house. As I walked, I thought, "This family must be having curry for dinner tonight~" In that moment, I felt as if I had truly blended into the Fuse neighborhood and become a local resident, and that feeling was strange and so much fun!

The official SEKAI HOTEL website has many other stay plans to choose from, so if you're interested, check it out to find the one that best fits your itinerary. One last friendly reminder: since the number of rooms here is limited, once you've decided when you're flying to Osaka, be sure to book right away!

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