Introduction
Japan is a place of culture and beauty. Every part of Japan has a uniqueness to it and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before until you visit. Osaka was once my home for 4 months while I studied abroad there at Kansai Gaidai University and it’ll always have a place in my heart. Now, Osaka is all about the night life, culture, food and of course the numerous people you meet along the way. So if you’re looking for a fun time and enjoy what a lively city can do for you, come visit Osaka!
Brief History
The area of Japan that is Osaka has been inhabited by people for more 10,000 years ago. It was first influenced by Chinese culture around the 5th century A.D. by the Korean peninsula and Osaka quickly became the center of politics and culture of Japan. It even became the capital of Japan during the 7th century but was later moved to Nara and Kyoto.
Later during the 12th century, the political power that ruled over Japan ended up falling into the hands of the warrior class and Japan entered an age of civil dismay. However, after years of turmoil, Osaka developed as a free state like cities in medieval Italy and was unified by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583. He soon constructed the Osaka Castle, as seen in the picture above and made Osaka the political and economic center of Japan once again.
Around the castle, merchants set up shop and the city grew into a busy economy center of Japan. But after a while, the political center that Osaka had, shifted East towards Tokyo. This move didn’t affect Osaka though. The city continued to grow and play a vital role in managing Japan’s economy and goods. It was later named the “Nation’s Kitchen” for many reasons which you’ll see later.
What To Do
Osaka is home to about 2,870,000 people and it’s a city, so of course there’s tons of things to do but I’m only going to highlight a few. All of these things that I’m going to talk about, I’ve actually done so I’ll do my best to keep it brief and to a point.
Dotonbori
Ahhhhh yes, the famous Glico man from Dotonbori that everyone has to take a picture of. It’s basically a big lit up sign of a runner crossing the finish line and yes, I took that picture so I joined in on the fun. But, Dotonbori is not just about the cool lights and sign. It’s all about food, food, and more food. Dotonbori is often considered the mecca of the cities cheap, good food, and is often shown as a “must see” for visitors in the city. There’s all kinds of food but the most well known is takoyaki (octopus dumplings) which might sound weird, but it’s cheap and very delicious.
There is a canal that runs through the middle and it’s called the Dotonbori Canal (imagine that). It splits Dotonbori into two sides, the North and the South. The North side is called Soemon-cho and is occupied by many restaurants and bars. While the South side of the canal is called Dotonbori street, which is the home of various eateries where you’ll find many famous signs such as the moving crab, puffer fish, and dragon. If you’re looking to find where Dotonbori is, it’s located in Namba, Osaka. Which is basically a part of the whole city.
Umeda Sky Building
Next is the Umeda Sky Building. This building is a unique high rise building located in the Kita district of Osaka by Osaka and Umeda stations. The building consists of two main structures connected to each other by the “Floating Gardens Observatory” on the 39th floor. The main purpose of the building is for offices and businesses that preoccupy all the other floors but you can go to the top and pay 700 yen for a spectacular view of the city.
But here’s the catch, if you’re interested in going here…you better bring your sweet heart. It’s a VERY romantic place for couples and you’ll fill left out if you don’t bring a girl or boy with you that you like. The whole point of coming here is to really go to the Floating Gardens Observatory up top and eat/take pictures with your loved one. The view is also beyond amazing so make sure you go at night when the city is full of life and is all lit up.
Shinsaibashi
I hope you love to shop and love being surrounded by tons of people because next up is Shinsaibashi. This place is one of the cities main shopping areas. It is a covered shopping street that is located just North of Dotonbori. It’s basically a long line of shops that include stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani, and many more. But don’t worry, it’s not only full of expensive shops but reasonable shops as well, like H&M.
For Shinsaibashi, you can literally go there anytime, night or day and it’ll be crowed with people. It’s a great place to go with friends to enjoy the atmosphere and shop. It’s also really fun when it’s Halloween because everyone is dressed up in their costumes. But please, don’t be afraid of going there because of all the people. Yes it can seem crowed but it’s worth the trip when you’re with friends and want to buy something or check out the random restaurants/bars hidden throughout the area.
How To Communicate
Alright, the way Japanese communicate in Osaka is very unique. They have their own dialect that is distinctive from other dialects like those from Tokyo. These dialects and accents reflect upon their local culture and local characteristics. This is very hard to describe unless you actually go there and can understand Japanese but believe it or not, it’s hard for people from Tokyo to understand what people from Osaka are even saying since their accents and dialects can be so different.
Honestly, the best way for me to describe Osaka and their dialect/accent is comparing it to some place that we know and that would be Texas. People from Osaka are very upfront. I’ll describe this by using an example. Let’s say a Japanese man from Osaka is going shopping. He’d probably haggle with the staff to get what he wants. He also wouldn’t be afraid to speak out if he had any complaints or questions about the merchandise. But even the staff in Osaka are use to these complaints or grumbles so they can easily persuade their customers to buy their products. It might seem weird but I feel as though both the customers and staff enjoy these nagging conversations and see it as a normal way to communicate. People from Osaka are very good at turning a complaint or something serious into something funny or not as serious. Thus helping them express themselves as who they are.
What To Say
OK, let’s learn a few phrases or things to say that can commonly be heard in Osaka. In Osaka they use Osaka-ben/Kansai-ben which is the dialect of Osaka and how they talk. Alright, here we go….
“Chau” means “Different”
“Akan” means “No good”
“Meccha” means “Very”
“Wakarahen” means “I don’t understand”
“Aho” means “Idiot”
“Ookini” means “Thank you”
“Honma” means “Really”
These words and phrases are obviously not in Japanese characters but it gives you a better feel and understanding of what some Japanese words mean in Osaka.
Final Thoughts
Osaka, Japan is one of my favorite places in Japan and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to actually live there for 4 months. It’s full of history, culture, and things to do. You’ll always be busy and discovering something new while you’re there. So if you ever have the opportunity and money to go to Japan. Go to Osaka. It’ll be worth it and you’ll have the ability to immerse yourself in their culture. Also, take the time to learn some Japanese and meet Japanese students or Japanese when you go there. You’ll learn so much since they’re the real experts on Japan since they were born and raised there. Oh and one last thing, take the time to travel to other cities in Japan like Nara as well. The transportation is cheap and there’s so much to see. Japan is truly a beautiful country.
