Friday Macha: Tannan and Matsubara City

Matsubara City. Not many foreigners know about the existence of this city since it doesn't have any tourist attractions. But it's my second home, where i lived for around 6 months, graduated from high school and met many amazing friends. It's also where I cycled around and walked my dogs a lot during my free time. 

Matsubara City is situated south of Osaka City. By Kintetsu Line, it's one and only one train station, Kawachi-Matsubara station  is 20 minutes from Tenouji. Tenouji is 15 minutes away from Yodobashi Station, Osaka by Midosuji Line. In total, it takes around 40 minutes to go to Osaka from Matsubara, including time taken for train transfer. 

This is the map of the subway lines in Kansai Area of Osaka. The red line is Midosuji Line which has Yodobashi Station. As you can see, it's super duper convenient to travel around Osaka using the subway lines. You can use any line and end up at the same place in Osaka. The difference between these lines is the stations, hence travelling time. 

Then we have the complicated yet convenient JR lines that connects Osaka to Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Kobe and Kansai Airport. 

I'm sorry I can't find the Kintetsu Railway map, so i can't show you the line connecting Matsubara City to Tenouji. 

I stayed in a neighborhood called Tannan, situated right next to Mihara Ward and Tanjo neighborhood, It's mainly a residential area with paddy fields, small shops, convenience shops, factories and coffee houses in Tannan. Surprisingly, for a city girl like me, I found and still find Tannan very entertaining because it's a whole different ambiance to me. Plus, it's safer for me to cycle around and explore neighborhoods. I've cycled over to Mihara Ward many times to check out the houses and shops there. 

My home.

A view of Tannan from the balcony.

Tannan Community Hall in front of my home.

Paddy fields in Tannan.

Among the house in Tanjo, the neighborhood next to Tannan.

Sunset view in Matsubara City from the balcony of my house.

Walking the dogs around Tannan.

Outside a departmental store near Kawachi-Matsubara Station.

The main road of Tannan.

It took me around 10 minutes to cycle from Tannan to Kawachi-Matsubara station. The road I took is just a long straight road, so I didn't get lost easily. To go to my high school, Matsubara Senior High School, I would have to pass the train station and go straight to Miyakehigashi, which is where my high school is located at. By bicycle, it takes me 30 minutes from my house to my high school, hence I could afford to wake up at 7.30am. 7.30am is considered quite late in Japan. By 6am, it's already bright and sunny.

From Tannan, I can cycle to all directions, 360 degrees. Hence I would end up either at Kawachi-Matsubara Station, Mihara Ward, Kita Ward, Higashi Ward, Matsubara City Office, Miyakehigashi and anywhere along the way. So, I can say that it's a pretty strategic place since I can easily cycle to almost anywhere in Matsubara City.

I would say that Matsubara City is more of a residential area, unlike Osaka City with its bustling streets and shopping centres. There are actually tons of schools in this city itself. A few entertainment and shopping centres to avoid its residents from boredom; offices, hospitals, clinics, police stations, post offices, restaurants and shops for convenience. Nope, there is no cinema, sadly, so you have to travel to Tenouji or Namba to watch movies. 

Matsubara City Office usually organizes events to bring the community members closer to each other. One of the major events is Matsubara World Fiesta. My high school is actively involved in this event because 2 exchange students are sent to this school every year, hence allowing cultural experience sharing. The main reason this event is organised annually is that there are many foreigners staying in Matsubara City. Since it's convenient to travel to Osaka City yet affordable to reside at, why not? The World Fiesta provides tons of opportunities for its community to mingle around with foreigners and learn more about other countries. 

I'll talk about my experience when I participated in Matsubara World Fiesta in another post. :)

For your information, if you want to be a resident of Matsubara City, permanently or temporarily, you can handle the official documents at the Matsubara City Office. It is near the Matsubara Central Hospital, 5 minutes bicycle ride from Kawachi-Matsubara Station.

Address: Japan, Osaka Prefecture, Matsubara, Ao, １丁目１−１

Contact number: +81 72-334-1550