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Osaka: Japanese life at a higher resonance

Osaka has a wild feel about it, a city with more verve than Tokyo. I spent only about five hours in town, enough to give me a brief flavor of Japan’s second largest city that’s famous for takoyaki, it’s unique dialect, and organized crime. As I said, I barely scratched the surface of this mega-city, but am starting to understand the previous reports of the Kansai region, where people are reputed as louder and more direct than those in Kanto.

This observation probably has something to do with the place I chose to visit, focusing on the lively Dotombori neighborhood in Southern Osaka. It’s situated between Namba and Kintetsu Nipponbashi stations and is the most energetic place I’ve been in Japan. In a country where ramen shops, fast food, Pachinko parlours, and hostess bars can tend to blend together in a neon blur, the shops and restaurants of Dotombori set themselves apart with huge elaborate signs and distinctive storefronts.

Fugu, the potentially deadly puffer fish, is a popular delicacy in Western Japan and huge ten foot long signs adorn the entrances to shops where it can be purchased by the brave. Other signs include giant crabs, 20 foot dragons, and storefronts the size and shape of old Japanese sailing junks.

As you walk into the heart of this neon maze you will find yourself on the Ebisubashi bridge, with four story neon signs and television screens reflecting off the canal of the Dotombori River. The bridge is also home to the uber-trendy Japanese youth, covered in a bronze tan that is accentuated by their titanium white lipstick and fluorescent eyeliner. It’s as if they are striving to stand out from this ultramodern cityscape that surrounds but to which they seem oblivious. I guess it’s just another night hanging out on the bridge. The view from Shibuya station in Tokyo comes to mind, but the bridge offers a closer proximity to the brightness, a surreal cocoon of lights.

Crossing the bridge you stroll past shops, restaurants, and hostess bars before arriving in Amerika-mura (American village), an area with shops devoted to the still thriving popularity of the world’s most unpopular country.

The area is also full of imaginatively decorated Love Hotels, one more of Japan’s lovable quirks. Since people here live with their families longer than in Western countries, Love Hotels provide short term or nightly accommodation for some quality alone time. Oh and married people cheat a lot here, so these places are useful for flights of infidelity as well. I recommend staying in a Love Hotel to any traveler in Japan, even solo travelers. I had to shake the images of cheap hourly dives with regular customers named Candy and Bambi. Love Hotels are clean, often the cheapest place to stay, and are wildly decorated with different motifs in each room. Many include free movies and karaoke too. No matter what, you’re guaranteed a fun, unique experience.

A few hours walking around Dotombori gave me a feel for the place, and feeling like I could check Osaka off my list of places I’ve seen, I headed back to the station.



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0 responses to “Osaka: Japanese life at a higher resonance”

  1. […] I spent the evening with friends in Dotomburi before retiring to my internet cafe booth (only 1,960yen).  Next stop Shanghai. Tags: Tag Index « Sayonara Japan | Home | […]

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