Recommended gourmet food in Osaka

During the season when the sun shines brightly, colorful beach umbrellas open on the rooftops of department stores and in the garden spaces of hotels. Underneath, I tilted a large mug and gulped down a cold beer while the breeze blew. The summer-only rooftop beer garden is a summer feature in Japan.

The first beer garden in Japan was opened in Yokohama in 1875 for foreign residents and sailors of foreign ships. However, it is said that the first rooftop beer garden to be enjoyed on the roof of a building was born in Osaka. The year is 1953, and the location is the Osaka Dai-ichi Life Building, located in the middle of Kita's downtown area. The beer hall ``New Tokyo'', which was originally located in the basement, was requested to be reserved for a motorcycle exhibition, and since there were not enough people to fit inside, they decided to use the rooftop of the building as a venue and serve beer and food. When I tried it, it became very popular and became a hot topic, even being featured in newspapers. The following year, a rooftop store was officially opened as a ``Beer Garden''. Backed by the era when high-rise buildings were being built one after another in urban areas, many rooftop beer gardens were opened and a boom occurred nationwide.

It reached its peak during the period of high economic growth, with live Hawaiian bands playing, baseball games being broadcast on large TVs, and men and women of all ages noisily tipping their mugs. Even now, in the summer, beer gardens are held on the rooftops of buildings all over the place. Colorful lanterns provided by the beer company sway, and buffet-style food and self-service draft beer are standard. The free and lively atmosphere combined with the open feel of the outdoors makes the beer taste even more delicious.