thoughts on osaka

I finally got a taste of the Shinkansen service when I travelled to Osaka from Tokyo. It's something that everybody should probably try at least once in their lifetimes, taking high speed trains.

Back to Osaka though. It's probably a little unfair to say this, but from a sightseeing perspective Osaka is very much the Kansai counterpart to Tokyo, albeit with older infrastructure and amenities. It also has a seedier part of town (I happened to stay in a business hotel there in case you were wondering), with its fair share of strewn rubbish, run-down shops and homeless people. These are probably reasons why many tourists spend a larger amount of time in neighbouring Kyoto.

However, what really gives Osaka its unique flavour is its people. They are loud, brash, and funny as well. Kansai, and Osakan in particular, humour is very much appreciated all around Japan, and it seems innate amongst its inhabitants. They are quick to warm up to people, provide many interesting answers and opinions, and perhaps most importantly, are always welcoming you to another helping of drinks!

This is probably the only city that I visited that you could have a company CEO coming to a very basic lounge in a small business hotel just to lounge and make friends. I even got invited to lunch at one of the many curry rice chain stores he owns across Japan, and was personally sent off at the train station by him as well! Now THAT's what I call hospitality.


Osaka is also home to 2 of the more interesting escalator rides in the world. One has you look as if you're suspended in mid-air 37 floors above the ground, while the other looks as if you're on the stairway to heaven.