I'm Canadian, so my "bread" senses aren't really up there. But I do have a European partner, and he is very particular about bread.
For those of you fellow North Americans who also have no clue, like I once was, European bread is very different from Asian breads. My European partner just finds all Japanese bread too sweet and resembles pastry textures more than actual bread. Bread has a harder, crunchier exterior and a soft interior that Japanese breads from normal bakeries in Japan don't have. So being able to get some "real" bread as become a bit of a challenge.
In the past, I have found one bakery on google maps in Osaka that sells German bread, but they seem to only open around the weekend.
But I did end up finding two bakeries in Kansai that opens most days of the week!
They aren't in a centralized location, but if you're in the general vicinity, I highly recommend you check these places out.
This bakery is on the way to and from Mt.Rokko, but it's a chain bakery. Most of their selections are more Japanese-type pastries, but once in awhile, they do have some freshly baked European style breads.
My favourite is their cheese bagels. Not quite a European selection, but it's less of the Japanese sweet-type breads. They also have a lot of baguette selections at this bakery, and they even sell Nan if you go early enough.
Lots of locals seem to reserve toasts and other bakery goods from them. I highly recommend checking this place out!
This bakery is owned by a German baker, and I discovered this place during a recent trip to Kyoto. If you're in the Heian-Jingu or Higashiyama area, I highly recommend checking this place out for their fresh pretzels and breads.
Due to stock issues, it seems like they don't sell a few things off the sandwich menu at the moment. Also, they don't always have all their breads listed on the website always available. So either go early, or give the shop a call in the morning to see if you can reserve some for pick up on the day of. That way you don't have to make a trip out and come back empty-handed (like the first time we went).
They also have some nice sweet pastries available, but my partner says it's less German and perhaps adapted more to Japanese taste buds...
But it's still good to me!
One thing to note is that the breads here are quite expensive and not very big, so it's more like a special treat if you aren't made of gold. So a fair warning there!
But my European partner approves! Greatly!
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I hope this helps some of you out in Kansai... if you're European and live in Kansai, do you know any local bakeries that opens most days of week and delivers European bread quality? Let us know!!