Rikuro Ojisan's Baked Cheesecake (+ instruction on how to get to Rikuro Ojisan shop in Osaka Station)

Since (hopefully) I will be visiting Osaka soon, I thought I would review something from Osaka.

Walking around Osaka Station, it is often that you would see a white paper bag with the name, 'Rikuro Ojisan'/リクローおじさんの店' being carried around, or carried on top of a suitcase. I never really thought about the white bag, or got curious enough to go find the source of the white bags, when I went to Osaka before a friend introduced it to me. But after tasting it, I wish I've gotten curious, and looked for the shop all those years ago. Now, I buy them every time I go back to Osaka. ^_^

Looking at it, it's just a normal fluffy, baked cheesecake, but don't be fool by it. The texture is so smooth, and soft, I seriously felt like I was in heaven after a third bite. The good thing about it is that it is not too sweet, like the others I've tried, so you literary can eat the whole thing without getting sick. (Yes, I've eaten the whole cake at once before.) The best thing about this cake is that it has raisins at the bottom of it, and I think it gives the cake 'a lift' in terms of flavor, as without it, you only would be getting one flavor of the creamy cream cheese cake. Oh yes, and another GREAT thing about this cake is its price. It costs only 588 yen per 18cm diameter of this awesomely delicious cheesecake.

However, the bad news is... It's only available in Osaka and Kobe. So, if you're in the area, or are planning to visit Kansai, definitely give this cake a try.

I would love to say that this is a great sweets to take home (overseas), but sadly, the cake expires fairly quickly (3 days), so it might not be such a good idea.

There are many stores around Osaka, such as Daimaru Umeda, Namba, JR Shin-Osaka Station, and so on. Oh, and there's a store in Sokou Kobe as well.

For further information, please visit Rikuro Ojisan's homepage.

UPDATE: For tourists, I think the best place you can purchase Rikuro Ojisan's cheesecake is at Osaka Station. So.. 

HERE'S AN INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO GET TO RIKURO OJISAN SHOP IN DAIMARU UMEDA (in OSAKA STATION) - Takes around 4 minutes to get to the shop from Osaka Station's central gate

1. Once you get out of the ticket barrier/gate, access Daimaru Umeda from 2nd floor. (where you got out from the ticket gate)
2. Once you got out of the ticket gate, turn right, and the building should be right in front of you. Then, get onto B1 floor (B1F), and make your way to the West Building. Please note that on B1 floor of Daimaru Department Store, there are two separate buildings (separated by a large walkway). The easiest way is to observe from the shops around you, if the shops sell Western confectionaries and cakes, then you're in the right building, if you're surrounded by sushi, lunch box, then you're in the wrong building. OR ask for the direction from the staffs (any shop is fine).. You can ask them 'Nishi biru wa doko desuka?' (西ビールはどこですか?) It's not the best way to ask the question, but for foreigners, I think this question is manageable. Then, they should give you the hand gesture for directions.

The picture below should help you to gain better understanding of the B1 floor.

(credit: edited from picture on Daimaru's website)

3. Once you're in Daimaru's West Building, find the Rikuro Ojisan's shop, that looks like the picture below. If you enter West Building from East Building, the shop should directly be in front of you.

 (credit: picture taken from Rikuro Ojisan website)

The picture above is the map of Daimaru's B1 West building floor, Rikuro Ojisan is the shop in bright red.

ALSO, there is an Information Center on 2nd floor of Osaka Station where you can ask for directions if you're unsure of how to get to the shop. 

I know this is not the clearest instruction, but I hope it will help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment below.

For those who aren't planning to travel to Japan anytime in the near future, you can try to make these at home. I have not tried to make these myself, but I have read various of blogs that offers the recipe, and by looking at the reviews, it's definitely worth trying. However, currently, I have a small portable oven, which cannot bake cakes that will grow fairly tall, as the top of the cake will turn black before it's done cooking. So, if you dare to try, please visit these blogs.

http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2011/03/japanese-cheesecake-tips-tricks.html
http://tofoodwithluv.blogspot.jp/2012/06/light-and-creamy-japanese-cheesecake.html
http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2011/02/japanese-cheesecake-fluffy-creamy.html#.UIlW645Qq0s
http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.jp/2011/04/japanese-cotton-cheese-cake-encore.html