{"id":1116,"date":"2024-03-28T09:10:41","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T00:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osaka-info.jp\/local_journey\/en\/?p=1116"},"modified":"2024-03-28T11:01:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T02:01:52","slug":"little-okinawa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osaka-info.jp\/local_journey\/en\/stopby-osaka\/little-okinawa\/","title":{"rendered":"Drop by if you\u2019re near Kaiyukan,\u00a0 USJ, or the Bay Area! Experience Okinawan cuisine and culture at \u201cLittle Okinawa\u201d in Hirao, Taisho Ward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is said that one-quarter of the residents of Taisho Ward, located in the southwest of Osaka City, are of Okinawan descent. During World War I, migrant workers from Okinawa moved to Osaka and settled in Taisho Ward, a center of textile production at the time. Indeed, Okinawan culture has been passed down in Osaka for over 100 years now.
Businesses related to Okinawan culture (including Okinawan restaurants) can be found near JR Taisho Station and throughout the Taisho area. The many third- and fourth-generation Okinawan families in the districtgive Hirao its nickname of \u201cLittle Okinawa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Highlights!
\n\u30fbExperience how Okinawan culture has been passed down in Osaka for 100 years
\n\u30fbAccess to Little Okinawa by bus and free ferry
\n\u30fbSoak up all things Okinawan, from food to Eisa folk dance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Taisho Ward is the focal point of Okinawan culture in Osaka; everything around you exudes Okinawa. For example, an Okinawan folk song called \u201cThe Balsam Flowers\u201d is played when trains arrive and depart at JR Taisho Station. Izakaya restaurants featuring Okinawan cuisine can also be found nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Getting to the Hirao district (Little Okinawa) from JR Taisho Station via bus is easy. From the Taishobashi stop in front of JR Taisho Station, take Osaka City Bus #71, #76, or #91 and get off at the Hirao stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To get to the Hirao district, you can also take a ferry from Ochiaishimo Ferry Landing. If traveling by car, you can use the Senbonmatsu Bridge (Megane-bashi) to cross Kizu River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At Sangenya Park, there is a monument commemorating Taisho Ward as the birthplace of the local textile industry, which was the reason for the influx of Okinawan people to this area. The first factories of Osaka Boseki Co., Ltd. (known today as Toyobo Co., Ltd.) were built on this soil in 1883. Many Okinawans worked in these factories, which operated on a 24-hour basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alight at the Hirao bus stop and walk to the south to visit Thanks Hirao, a shopping street with an Okinawan atmosphere. You can see the Shureimon Gate (a historical Okinawan landmark) drawn on the hanging banners and shisa (Okinawan stone lions) drawn on the sliding shutters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nakazone Seinikuten is a butcher shop that sells pork, a mainstay of Okinawan cuisine. The aroma of offal grilled on a hot plate is sure to whet your appetite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sawayuki Shoten has a great selection of ingredients for Okinawan cuisine, such as Spam, handmade sata antagi (fried dough), goat soup stock, and boneless rib\u2014a key ingredient of Okinawa soba noodles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can see the Taisho branch of the Daily Yamazaki convenience store get off at the Hirao bus stop. They sell uncooked Okinawa soba noodles, Okinawan sweets, and vegetables. The Okinawan folk songs playing in the background only add to the unique vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two Eisa dance festivals held in Taisho Ward every year. The first is the Gajimaru-no-kai Eisa Festival, held on the second Sunday of September at Chishima Park. The second is the River Taisho Eisa Festival, held on the fourth Sunday of August at Hirao Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many people come to enjoy eisa (traditional Okinawan folk dance), shima-uta (traditional Okinawan folk music), and sanshin (three-stringed Japanese lute) performances. After eating Okinawan food, a kachashi folk dance brings the festivities to a splendid end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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