As mentioned in the blog before, when you see a line in front of a restaurant in Japan, fall in at the end of the queue. This “always trust the line” approach has served me well over the years. 551 Horai is a perfect example of this idea paying off.
A few years ago, we were staying at a hotel near Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka and would pass by a shop in the airport with a line in front of it regardless of the hour. At first we thought it might be some sort of special train meal (eki-ben), but as we got closer, we realized they sold pork buns and gyoza. They sold A LOT of pork buns and gyoza!
I had trouble wrapping my head around a line for Chinese food in a city referred to as the kitchen of Japan. But after a couple of days of seeing this, we decided we had to try some. However, the mornings were far too busy as we usually were on our way to somewhere and just didn’t have time for the wait. By the time we got back we would be too full and too tired to wait in the line.
One afternoon I was going through the station on the way to the hotel and saw there were only about 12 people in line. This was my opportunity to see what the fuss was about. I ordered both buns and gyoza. Yuka and I got back to the hotel at about the same time and dove into the meal. It may not have been the best pork bun I’ve ever eaten, but it was close to the best. The gyoza was delicious as well.
Knowing there is great food all over Japan, I was curious as to why this particular store, at each of its locations, was so busy. Turns out there are a few reasons; first, it’s a regional food. The only locations are in the Kansai region, including Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo. These steamy balls of joy have been souvenirs for businessmen returning to Tokyo from Osaka for years. Remember, Japan is a gifting society, and when one travels, there is a decided expectation that you return with gifts from wherever you were.
For context, these stores sell a combined 170,000 individual buns per day. Each one is formed at a single location in Osaka and will travel less than 150 minutes to the store prior to being cooked and sold. To put this 170,000 number into perspective, it takes four tons of onions to fill each day’s production.
Every now and then, I still stand in line for a three-pack of buns, just because. I recommend you do the same next time you are in Osaka.
