tabitito
Since I found out that there is an Okinawan izakaya in Namba, which is common in Taisho Ward, I have been wanting to go there. I wanted to use it for some drinking party, or maybe even see everyone dancing. However, while I was thinking about it, the name of the restaurant changed to "Oborodaren". This is a dialect from Tokunoshima Island in the Amami Islands, meaning "thank you". The restaurant is quite spacious, and it would surely be lively if people started dancing. We went there with three people for a meal on a weekday, and there were three other groups of customers. I later found out that they were acquaintances of the live performer "Kudeken" on that day. As for the food, almost everything was typical Okinawan cuisine. Goya Champuru, Mimigar, Tebichi, purple sweet potato croquettes, mozuku tempura, Rafute, Soki Soba... Something different was the drink "Miki", a sweet drink with a base of white rice that is almost solid. For the food, there was "Wanfuni", which is the Tokunoshima word for pig's feet. It is a simple dish boiled in salt. Lastly, there was goat soup. It has a strong animal smell that often makes celebrities on travel shows exclaim "Ew!". I am usually fine with eating goat dishes, but this one really packed a punch. I tried it, but it was definitely an acquired taste. There was a live performance starting at 7 pm. Unfortunately, we left midway so we didn't get to dance, but we still had a good time in the short time we were there. When the owner bid us farewell, saying "Oborodaren!", it made me want to go back and experience it again.