Visit: April 29, 2025
I had heard about Udon Gyoza as one of Takatsuki’s local “B-class gourmet” dishes.
Curious to try it at least once, I decided to make it my brunch for this trip.
But as it turned out, this encounter was anything but simple…
The Shock of a Closed Shutter
When I first arrived, Café de Marinna was completely shuttered.
For a moment, I thought, “Has it gone out of business already?”
It was just when I was about to give up.
Could it be… closed for good?
Maybe I won’t get to try it after all…
The Sign I Finally Found on My Second Visit
After wandering around the park and the museum,
I passed by again — and the shutter was open!
At last, I finally found the sign for Udon Gyoza.
Finally Found It! Takatsuki’s Local B-Class Gourmet
Inside the Shop — A Little Scene Before the Order
The interior felt just like a bar from Japan’s Showa era.
An elderly man and woman stood behind the counter — the woman calling him “Master” left quite an impression.
When I placed my order, she looked a little surprised and asked,
“Master, can we make that?” — a charmingly unique moment.
A Café Frozen in the Showa Era —Where Takatsuki’s B-Class Gourmet Still Lives On
Time to Taste! — An Unexpected Star of the Meal
The set meal was far more generous than you’d expect for just 700 yen.
The Udon Gyoza itself was simple but tasty.
Yet what surprised me most were the side vegetables — so flavorful they could have been the main dish.
Beyond the Main Dish — The Side Vegetables Stole the Show!
🍳 What Exactly Is Udon Gyoza?
- Origin: Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture
- Story: It all began when a mother mixed leftover udon noodles with gyoza filling and pan-fried it.
- Shape: Round and flat, with no wrapper — like a hamburger patty with gyoza flavor.
- How to Eat: Often enjoyed with okonomiyaki sauce or ponzu.
- Texture: A mix of chewy udon and juicy pork — soft yet satisfying.
📝 Summary
By chance, I finally encountered Udon Gyoza on my second visit.
It wasn’t just the taste — the atmosphere of the shop and the whole experience made the journey even more memorable.
👉 Next Stop…
Read together with Side Trip Journey (Osaka–Kyoto) ① Takatsuki Edition
to enjoy both the flavors and the stroll through the city. ↓
📎 Related Posts
Click to read more:
👉 🚉Stopover Journey (Osaka – Kyoto) ① / ④ Takatsuki- A Fort Walk and a Chance Encounter with the ‘Crying Sumo’ |YUMEVOJA
📎 Related Posts
Click to read more:
👉 🍵Beauty & Taste (Osaka–Kyoto) ①Takatsuki- Udon Gyoza | YUMEVOJA
👉 🍵 Beauty & Taste (Osaka–Kyoto) ② / ③ Nagaoka Tenjin-The Bamboo Shoot Set Meal | YUMEVOJA
Today’s bonus capsule!
✨ Gateway to the Showa Era-Space Invaders
The Showa era (1926–1989) was a time when modern technology and ideas began to transform everyday life in Japan.
🕹️ Memories of Showa
When Space Invaders was all the rage, game centers were seen as a bit intimidating —
places where “troublemakers” hung out.
For a middle-school girl, stepping inside one felt slightly forbidden.
My older brother wasn’t a delinquent,
but he seemed to have a quiet admiration for that world.
One day, he turned to me and said, “Wanna come see it?”
That was the first — and only — time he took me to a game center.
I wore his leather jacket over my bobbed hair,
feeling slightly out of place, slightly excited.
Later, he laughed and said, “You really stood out in there.”
He was right — I did.
The room was dim, filled with glowing tabletop machines
and the rhythmic blips and beeps of another universe.
We didn’t have a home console back then,
so that glowing arcade felt like stepping straight into the future.
🎯 Today
Today’s game centers are bright, cheerful places
where families and friends can casually drop by.
Rows of crane games and rhythm machines fill the air with laughter and light.
As for me — that visit with my brother was my first and last gaming adventure.
I never became a gamer, and truthfully, I still haven’t.
But there’s one “game” I can never resist:
the Bikkura Pon at Kura Sushi. 🍣
Every five plates, the screen above your table comes to life —
sometimes a roulette, sometimes a race, sometimes fishing or goldfish scooping.
You can’t control anything; you just wait for the result.
And yet… that tiny moment before the verdict — win or lose —
still makes my heart skip a beat.
Maybe I’m not a gamer after all,
but perhaps I am a little bit of a gacha lover.
After all, I even built “gacha” into my own blog!
Each post feels like another spin —
you never know what kind of story you’ll draw next.
🌍 Across the World
Space Invaders was a massive hit born in Japan.
Under the name Space Invaders, it swept across the world,
introducing the very concept of “arcades” to the global stage.
Those simple pixelated movements ignited a wave of excitement
that crossed languages and borders alike.
💭 Reflection
That day in the arcade with my brother —
the weight of his leather jacket, the glow of the buttons,
and the feeling of being just a little more grown-up.
Now, decades later,
I find myself smiling as I watch sushi plates trigger little “gacha” animations.
The sound is different, the setting is different —
but the rhythm of anticipation feels oddly familiar.
Whether it’s a flashing pixel or a spinning capsule,
that instant of excitement connects the past and the present.
Perhaps that’s the quiet magic that has followed us
from Showa to today —
a tiny “Gacha of the Heart.”