Takoyaki, The Osakan snack has spread across the globe as a signature Japanese dish. But surely this soup takoyaki has got to be one of the lesser known variants.

Takoyaki, the savory fried octopus balls most enjoy with a generous topping of crispy bonito flakes is probably the last thing you’d expect to find served soggy. But we found this street side vendor outside Osakako Station serving bowls of soup takoyaki.

The elderly store owner must have seen her fair share of foreigners passing by these streets. She chatted up all stray tourists who had curiously stopped by her shop this evening.

These two dishes are often thought to be one and the same. Sashimi consists of thin slices of raw fish or other seafood served with spicy Japanese horseradish (wasabi) and shoyu while sushi consists of the same, served on vinegared rice, but also includes cooked seafood, vegetables and egg. Another form of sushi is norimaki, or sushi roll, in which the filling is rolled in rice with a covering of nori. Cheap sushi is available at supermarkets or at kaiten-zushi restaurants, where customers sit at a counter and choose what they want.

Grilled unagi is a relatively expensive in Japan, prized not only for its flavor but also for its legendary stamina-giving properties. It’s traditionally eaten during the hottest part of the summer (on the “Day of the Ox” on the lunar calendar) to provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.

Well-prepared unagi combines a rich flavor, a bit like pate, with an appetizing texture, crisp on the outside but succulent and tender on the inside. The cooking process is what makes the eel crisp and tender: The eels are first grilled over hot charcoal, then steamed to remove excess fat, then seasoned with a sweetish sauce and grilled a second time. In the Kansai area (around Osaka) the steaming step is omitted and the eel is grilled longer, burning off the excess fat and producing an even crisper skin.

The ingredients in the sweet basting sauce are important to the final taste of the unagi, and different restaurants maintain their own secret recipes. The quality of the charcoal used is also important: The best charcoal is made from hard oak from Wakayama in central Japan, and the aromatic smoke adds a special flavor to the eel as it’s grilling.

Watch Unagi video here!