Tenjinbashi-suji is known as the longest shopping district in Japan, stretching as it does 2.6 km from north to south, from Tenjinbashi-suji 1-chome to 6-chome. In former times it flourished as a neighborhood that had developed around Osaka Temmangu, the shrine venerating Sugawara-no-Michizane, and it was a bustling entertainment district during the Edo era when it was also home to small theaters and the Temma Fruit and Vegetable Market, which sustained ‘The Nation’s Kitchen,’ a nickname for Osaka. Even today, its arcades are lined with the mom-and-pop stores of old, such as greengrocers and shops selling daily necessities, and the friendly atmosphere of a traditional downtown district still lingers. In this article we feature Maeda Tofu-ten, a store that has been part of this shopping district for more than 30 years. We showcase the appeal of tofu that you will want to eat time and again, and also its owner, a character you will want to go and see again.

Devoted to the art of tofu-making since the age of 15. A shop with an array of freshly-made tofu

With tofu easily available in supermarkets, the number of local tofu shops is steadily declining. However, that doesn’t worry Maeda Tofu-ten one little bit. There is a steady stream of customers here as soon as the shop opens.

Along with his elder brother Katsuyuki, Ichiro Maeda began an apprenticeship at a tofu shop in Nara when he was 15. The brothers went independent when he was 30. They set up a shop with a kitchen in Settsu, and the store that Maeda-san now runs in the Tenjinbashi-suji 3-chome shopping district was established 32 years ago. Even now, at the age of 73, he goes to make tofu with his brother at 4 o’clock every morning, and then takes the freshly-made tofu to his shop.

‘Real tofu,’ made in the traditional way and good for your health

The tofu-making process starts with mashing soybeans that have been soaked in water overnight, then heating the mash and wringing out the soy milk. Nigari (bittern) is then added to the soy milk to solidify it into the finished tofu.
Recently however, there is a lot of cheap tofu around made from heavily diluted soy milk, or even from soybean powder made from pulverized soybeans with no soy milk used at all.

Maeda-san’s tofu however contains absolutely no preservatives.
“Only soybeans, nigari and water are used for our tofu, and it has a different flavor from the tofu of other shops,” says owner Maeda-san with a big grin.

“Soy milk that isn’t thick enough won’t solidify even when you add nigari. You see, solidifiers other than nigari are used to make tofu from thin soy milk or soybean powder, but we can make it using just nigari because our soy milk is so thick.”

Many regular customers say that no other tofu will do once they’ve eaten Maeda-san’s. His tofu is packed with the flavor and sweetness of the soybeans.
The shop offers three kinds of silken tofu alone: Kodawari (Special)1, Kodawari 2, and Maboroshi (Peerless). A block of Maboroshi, which uses the most concentrated soy milk, costs 1,500 yen and you can directly taste the quintessential flavor of soybean.

A well-known proprietor in the shopping district, beloved for his sunny disposition

Maeda-san Tofu-ten is special in that it attracts male and female customers of all ages while being true to its roots as a local shop.

Because no preservatives are used, its tofu and abura-age (thin deep-fried slices of tofu) only keep for up to three days in a fridge. Even so, it attracts a steady stream of customers, not just locals but also people from further afield who’ve heard how good it is. If the shop isn’t crowded, Maeda-san will let first-time customers sample the soy milk, and will explain in detail why tofu is so delicious and about ways it can be eaten.

Tenjinbashi-suji is now a famous Osaka shopping district and the number of tourists is increasing.
Maeda-san puts people at their ease; for example, if a tourist has bought a soy milk pudding he’ll offer them a seat so they can sit and eat it right then and there.

And it’s not only his interactions with customers. It warms the heart just to watch Maeda-san and see how he and the locals wave a greeting at each other as they pass by his shop.
People tend to think that a tofu shop is for local use, but Maeda Tofu-ten is definitely a place where travelers too can encounter tofu made by traditional methods, meet a friendly character, and experience the food culture of the Osaka of yore.