Dining in Okinawa? Eat Taco Rice and alleviate child hunger!

Even among the non-Okinawan Japanese, they may not be familiar with the Okinawa cuisine, Taco Rice. The unique dish is a stack of taco ingredients on rice, which is hard to imagine at first, but can be quite heavenly in an expert chef’s hands.

What is Taco Rice?

But what is taco rice? Born from the streets of Kin town towards the north of Okinawa City in the mid-1980s, the dish is, of course, inspired by the Mexican tacos.

The early versions of the Taco Rice included rice as a simple base, topped with minced sauteed meat. Today, Taco Rice variations include layers of vegetables, meat and cheese. While the similarities between taco and taco rice seem to be only the tortilla and rice, the meal experience is different in one of tasty staple versus one of everyday satisfaction.

And the ingredients work really well together, especially between the meat and the rice. The crunchiness of cabbages keeps the taste balanced on the light side. Variations of ingredients are available in different restaurants. Regardless of your preference, Taco Rice offers a hearty meal despite its unassuming volume.

It also opens doors to creativity for those so inclined. Limited only by the chefs’ imagination, it is a versatile dish that allows heavy tweaking of the recipe, be it more meat, a different sauce, additional toppings or even a different balance of ketchup and taco sauce.

Active taco rice community fighting against child poverty in Japan

But the best feature of Taco Rice is its link to the Taco Rice Lovers. This community not only constantly looks out for the best Taco Rice in Okinawa, but it is also a network of Taco Rice partners. It uses a ticketing system called Mirai Ticket to provide free Taco Rice to children.

The network officially launched the Mirai Ticket system last year. Customers who eat at one of the partner restaurants will find a board with orange and white tickets at the entrance. Underneath the magnetic tickets are messages from customers who have purchased the ticket, aimed to encourage children. Any child, regardless of their status or background, can take one of the tickets from the board and exchange it for a free Taco Rice meal.

Months after the launch today, 40 partners around Okinawa has a Mirai Ticket board with tickets, The Taco Rice Lovers network has fed over 5,000 children, and still counting. Supported by local media outlets, Taco Rice Lovers is slowly gaining recognition for providing free meals to children.

Taco Rice taste report

I had the pleasure to visit Tinnomuribushi for my first taste of Taco Rice. Having interviewed Taco Rice Lovers and their role in alleviating child hunger for Okinawa children, I wanted to do my part and made my way to Nago city in Okinawa.

Nago is north of the more popular Naha City. Its food streets are well-known, though now quite lonely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Five minutes to the west stands a lone white building. On the ground floor is Tinnomuribushi cafe, where you’d make the orders. Eating areas are available outside and on the second floor.

Payment is made first together with the number of Mirai Tickets you’d want to buy for future child customers. While your order is being prepared, you can write out a short message to pass to the child. The Mirai Ticket is also a magnet, so pin the message up once you’re finished.

And the Taco Rice that arrived was without a doubt delicious. I can’t imagine tacos ever tasting wrong! But this Japanese arrangement is more satisfying than a simple taco set. Tinnomuribushi’s version had two key elements contributing to the taste: small tomato cubes to give a slight sourness to wet the taste buds, and a runny egg to provide another layer of texture, which also blends all the ingredients well.

How about a meal of Taco Rice today?

Tinnomuribushi is one of 40 partners in Okinawa of the Taco Rice Lovers network (the network is still growing). Many of them are in the Naha region, so you will have no trouble locating buying a Mirai ticket or two for Okinawan children. Here are some partners in the Taco Rice Lovers offering Mirai Tickets:

• King Tacos Kin Main Store – Kin (Website) (Google Map)
• Okinawa Portal – Naha (Website) (Google Map)
• 33 Taco Rice – Naha (Website) (Google Map)
• TACOS MONSTER – Nakagusuku (Website) (Google Map)
• Tinnomuribushi Cafe – Nago (Website) (Google Map)