大阪文化館・天保山 響-HIBIKI- — Local services in Osaka

visiting HIBIKI quickly became the highlight of my entire trip to japan. we had stumbled onto it after attending a show in the same building and i’m so glad we did. Mr. Taki, the owner (who is also the only staff member) is probably the most incredible human being i’ve ever had the pleasure of interacting with. from the moment we walked in until the minute we left, his warm demeanour made it feel more like an experience than a shopping trip. he offered us freshly made matcha, took photos for us and took his time to explain the history behind some of the items we looked at. the things we did buy, he packed so carefully so they wouldn’t be damaged on our way home. even the stickers and incense! what blew me out of the water was his restaurant and desert cafe recommendations, which he gave to us via a printed out word document that was colour coded, with all the information we’d need to find the places, along with photos of dish recommendations he had taken while going with his wife. he said he’d never recommend it if he didn’t think it was the best. i’ve never seen someone work with so much passion, he should feel beyond proud of what he has created with his beautiful, beautiful store. i feel like i’m missing so much but thank you tremendously Mr. Taki for giving me my greatest memory of japan. i can’t wait to come back and speak more with you about our favourite anime. i asked Mr. Taki if he had attended the show we came from, and he said he hasn’t because he is the shops only worker and really hopes one day he will - Mr. Taki i hope you get to go one day. keep doing what you’re doing, you are one of a kind and the world needs so much...

As a foreigner, it can sometimes be hard to feel welcome in new places. However, when my friends and I visited a museum in Osaka, was closed when we arrived, we waited about 15 minutes and decided to look around. The first thing we came across was the gift shop, Hibiki.

Inside, we met an incredible person named M. Taki. We spent over an hour there, listening to him share his knowledge and passion for Osaka’s culture. He gave us a warm welcome that made us feel truly at home.

Osaka itself is amazing, but meeting M. Taki was the highlight of our trip. If you have the chance to visit the museum, be sure to stop by Hibiki and enjoy the culture through Taki’s stories...

M. Taki was awesome! He came up to us while we were waiting and started chatting about Japanese history and culture. His English was great, and he was so passionate and fun to talk to—it felt like he genuinely loved sharing stories.

Inside his shop, he kept the conversation going, making everything interesting and engaging. We picked up a few souvenirs, not just for the sake of buying something, but because we wanted to remember the experience. If you meet him, you’re in for...