Kagafu Fumuroya Osaka Takashimaya Store at Dotonbori, Osaka

Kanazawa fu (wheat gluten) specialist counter on B1F of Osaka Takashimaya.

Kagafu Fumuroya is a Kanazawa-based fu (wheat gluten) specialist whose Osaka Takashimaya counter sits in the basement food hall of the Namba department store. Fu is a traditional Japanese food made by washing wheat dough to extract the gluten, then steaming, baking or frying it into shapes used in soups, stews and tea-ceremony dishes, and Fumuroya has been making it in Ishikawa Prefecture since the Edo period. The Osaka counter brings this Kaga-region craft to Minami, alongside instant osumashi (clear soup) and miso soup packs that need only hot water to reconstitute. The counter stocks the full Fumuroya range: soft, spongy fu for sukiyaki and miso soup; crisp, baked fu discs for ochazuke; decorative fu in flower and seasonal shapes; and gift boxes that travel well as edible souvenirs of Kanazawa. The instant soup lines are a practical purchase for visitors staying in self-catering accommodation or wanting a light, warming supper after a day's sightseeing. It suits food-curious travellers wanting a regional ingredient that is hard to find outside Japan, home cooks restocking a pantry, and gift buyers after a non-sweet, savoury present. Among the sashimi counters and patisserie stalls of the depachika, Fumuroya's neat rows of golden fu are a quiet reminder that Japanese culinary craft extends well beyond raw fish and rice. A bag of fu, a kettle of hot water, a bowl - and Kanazawa comes to your hotel room.