Taisho-ku
is located near Namba. It only takes about 10 min. by
subway or JR line.
Taisho is one of the most nostalgic areas in Osaka.
You can feel the local atmosphere and meet local Osaka
people!
Taisho is famous for its large number of Okinawan people.
It is said that almost 1/4 of the people who live in
Taisho-ku are from Okinawa.
That's why you can find many authentic Okinawan restaurants
in Taisho.It's a great season for enjoying Okinawan
food and strong Okinawa alcohol, AWAMORI.
Also, you can find many local cozy Izakayas and Japanese
style standing bars in Taisho! At one of the Izakayas
near Taisho Station, you can play ''Begoma'' which is
a traditional Japanese toy! Let me tell you more details!
You can enjoy
great Okinawan dishes made from fresh ingredients from
Okinawa in the cozy atmosphere.
The menu features a number of Okinawan food standards
including Goya Champuru, Tofuyo, Shima Rakkyo, etc.
Awamori which is Okinawan strong spirit made from rice
is highly recommended for Okinawan food.
You can see many customers from Okinawa in Naoya, which
means it's a truly great Okinawan restaurant.
You can check some pictures of the famous Okinawan
dishes below!
Kusugarasu
Tofu
Mimiga
Ponzu
Umibudo
(grapes in the sea)
Cold
Tofu with salty Aigo fry young fish. Try it with
Awamori!!
Slices
of skin of Pig's ears with Ponzu. You can get
collagen and calcium.
You will like it's unique texture
like tiny grapes!
I guess most of you didn't know you can have
authentic Okinawan dishes in Taisho!
Let's go to Taisho!! It's worth a try!
Have you ever heard about Begoma? Begoma is a traditional Japanese
toy which was popular among children from the Taisho period
until the middle of the Showa era.
It's one of the kinds of Koma which
is a very popular traditional Japanese toy.
*History of Begoma* It is said that Begoma was
invented around Kyoto during the Heian era.
People played with sea shells and strings
at the time. Now the metallic Begoma is popular and you can
see a variety of designs and colors.
*How to play Begoma* Twist a string around the
body of Begoma. Hold the end of the string and throw it very
quickly. You can see how to twist the string.
1. First, tie two knots.
2. Twist the string very tightly
around the knots.
3. It looks like this!
*Rules
of Begoma *
Generally, a few people throw Begoma at the same time,
and the person whose Begoma spins the longest is the winner.
You lose if your Begoma is bounced off the board, or when
it stops spinning.
Your Begoma will be taken by the winner when you lose,
so it's like gambling.
That's the reason even adults can enjoy the game and become
addicted.
Check out the following video, if
you still can't imagine it!
How was it?
It looks easy to throw Begoma, right?
You can try Begoma at a standing bar called ''Hinokuruma''.
Hinokuruma is located very close to
the Taisho Station.
You can experience a local and traditional
Japanese standing bar (Izakaya) here.
Hinokuruma is the headquarters of the
Begoma Club where local people enjoy drinks and Begoma every
night!
This standing Izakaya is a rare place
where you can enjoy both drinks and Begoma.
A friendly owner and customers will teach
you how to play Begoma, so don't worry even if you have never
played before.
It's fun just to see the many kinds of Begoma, and you can
also buy them starting from 300yen.
They offer Begoma lessons at Taisho
Bashi Park (1cho-me, Sangennya Higashi, Taisho-ku) every 4th
Sunday from 1pm.
They welcome anybody, so why not join?
