Arigato Travel Osaka Food Tours

Arigato Travel, which also trades as Arigato Japan Food Tours, runs guided food walks in several Japanese cities, and its Osaka tours focus on the city's famous street food. The company is a registered travel agency and land operator and has run tours for around a decade, collecting a long list of positive traveller reviews along the way. Its Osaka programme is a useful way to eat well in Minami without worrying about menus, queues or etiquette.

The Osaka Dotonbori Daytime Food Tour lasts about three hours and starts late in the morning, with a meeting window from 10:45 to 11:00 and a five-minute grace period for latecomers. It begins among the famous signs and characters of Dotonbori, with takoyaki as an early tasting, before heading into the quieter back alleys for a local-style lunch, including a visit to a regional restaurant and a small shrine. In total there are four food stops, one complimentary drink and a dessert, so come hungry.

Having a guide to explain what you are eating and how the dishes fit into local food culture makes the tour particularly helpful at the start of a trip. With advance notice, the company can adapt the tour for vegetarian, pescatarian, no-seafood and no-pork diets, although it cannot guarantee allergy-free meals because the food is prepared in other restaurants' kitchens.

Prices are at the premium end for a walking tour, though they include all the food and a drink. Children aged three to twelve pay half the adult price, and babies and toddlers up to two go free, so it can work for families. Gratuities and transport are not included, and hotel pick-up is available at an extra charge. Book through the official website, where the meeting point is confirmed, and check the cancellation terms before you pay.

The tour suits first-time visitors, couples, solo travellers and families with older children. Comfortable shoes are essential, as you will be walking between stops, and it is best not to eat a big breakfast. Afterwards you are well placed to explore the rest of Minami, from Shinsaibashi's shopping streets to the Kuromon Ichiba Market.