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Japan’s very own Braziltown offers great food and shopping for a great price

Krista Rogers Feb 2, 2014
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The World Cup is now less than half a year away! Don’t you wish you could go to Brazil to cheer on your national team? For those of you living in Japan who can’t quite scrape together the funds for that ticket, we bet you didn’t know that you can visit Japan’s very own ‘Braziltown’ right outside of Tokyo! While the world’s most widely viewed sporting event won’t be coming to the area anytime soon, you can still get a taste of the atmosphere by visiting authentic Brazilian restaurants and import stores. And the best part of going? This Braziltown is located within two hours of Tokyo and only costs 1,000 yen (US$9.77) to get there. Not bad considering airfares these days…

The folks at Another Tokyo, a popular Japanese website dedicated to introducing off-the-beaten track places around Japan, sent a reporter to Braziltown to check it out. Join us for a look at his photos and to hear about his experience.

This Braziltown is located in the town of Oizumi in Gunma Prefecture. You can access it from the Tobu Skytree Line by getting off at Tatebayashi Station and transferring to the local Tobu Koizumi Line. From there it’s a direct ride until the end of the line at Nishi-Koizumi Station.

On the local train, you are already likely to see a fair number of foreigners. Roughly 15 percent of the population of Oizumi are immigrants from Brazil or Peru and/or speak Portuguese as their native language. They are mostly employed at the local electronic goods and bicycle factories.

Let’s go on a little tour of the town with the photographs taken by Another Tokyo’s reporter:

▼Nishi-Koizumi Station, where your journey to ‘Brazil’ begins

▼Signs in Portuguese are everywhere

▼A general store

▼Never thought you’d see so many Portuguese magazines and newspapers in Japan, huh?

▼A vending machine sells international phone cards

▼You won’t find these instant noodles in other places

▼A popular dessert

▼Cool rooster on the store’s receipt!

▼”A mysterious, round pastry from the store. The white topping is powdered sugar, and the inside is like chocolate pie. It’s really sweet and a bit oily, but delicious.”

▼A small grocery shop

▼Abobora, a type of pumpkin. It’s a fun word to say.

▼You can spot the Brazilian flag in many places along the main street.

▼Brazilian waxing. That’s gotta hurt…

▼There are three tatoo parlors facing the main street.

▼Small snack shops and pubs dot the street. For some reason there’s a Filipino pub as well (below).

“At the Brazilian Plaza I was treated to free coffee!”

Brazilian Plaza
4-11-22 Nishi-Koizumi, Oizumi
Hours: 10AM-8PM
Closed: Mondays

This large plaza is right next to the main street. According to the reporter, the first floor is full of general shops and offices, while the second floor is a food court. Many people gather here to watch TV whenever the Brazilian football team is playing.

The reporter also had an interesting experience inside of this plaza. There were hardly any other customers, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. While he was looking around, an old Japanese woman at the register, presumably the shop manager, called out to him. They started chatting about things and the recent lack of sales. She then told him to wait for a moment while she brought out a drink for him. She disappeared into the back room. Then, in his own words: “It was a sweltering hot day, and I expected cold barley tea or something. But she brought out piping hot coffee!” Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?

▼Brazilian Plaza

▼”I was surprised to hear enka music playing inside. And even though it was August at the time, I saw a Merry Christmas sign.”

▼Two kinds of samba dancer cutouts you can stick your head through

▼It’s a bit puzzling why ‘Japan’ is written all over these caps…

▼…and on these Tokyo/Kyoto bags!

▼A collection of wall hangings for sale. Perhaps the locals buy them as souvenirs when they visit South America.

“I had a satisfying meal at this restaurant creatively named ‘Brazil’.”

Restaurante Brasil
5-5-3 Nishi-Koizumi, Oizumi
Hours: Monday-Friday 11AM-3PM & 5:30PM-10PM, Saturdays & Sundays 12PM-10PM
Closed: Wednesdays

▼The yellow-and-green exterior match the Brazilian flag. This restaurant was also featured in the 2012 Japanese drama Kodoku no Gourmet.

▼All lunch sets are 800 yen ($7.81) and include traditional favorites.

▼The Comercial set, with some of the most representative dishes of Brazil. The set includes meat, fried eggs, a salad, and a thick sauce.

▼The secret ingredient? String beans boiled in salted water.

▼”You’re supposed to pour this sauce over the rice like a curry. I thought it would be sweet because it resembles Japanese red-bean soup, but no! It’s surprisingly meaty, and goes really well with rice. There’s nothing like this in Japanese cuisine.”

We hope you enjoyed this glimpse of a a cool community in Japan. Next time you’re looking for a leisurely day trip from Tokyo, why not stop by and try some great Brazilian food?

Source/Images: Another Tokyo