I
have mentioned, quite a few times, the things I am going to miss (or not miss
in some cases), but I haven’t really said much about the things I am looking
forward to. When I first found out I was
going to be in Osaka, I was a little bit nervous. I didn’t know anything about the area, only
that it was one of the biggest cities. The
company I will be working for had me convinced my chances of getting a metro
assignment were slim so I was a little shocked.
Even more so when I actually looked up the population – almost 3 million
in the city itself, 19 million in the metro area. To say it will be a shock is a bit of an
understatement. But as I dug deeper into
what kind of place I would be moving to, I realized that Osaka might just be
the best place I could have landed.
Food
– Osaka is the culinary heart of Japan.
Apparently there is even an old saying, "Kyotoites
are financially ruined by overspending on clothing, Osakans are ruined by
spending on food.” As self-confessed
foodie, this is the place for me! Some
of the local specialties include okonomiyaki, which is kind of like a pancake
and literally means “what you like grilled,” takoyaki, ball shaped bits of
battered and fried octopus topped with different sauces, and a type of sushi
where they press it into a square shape called oshizushi. Obviously they also have an assortment of
other Japanese dishes, but these are the local specialty. Osaka is also known for its premium sake
(wink wink). I can’t wait to try everything!
Shopping – I am not a huge shopper, but I do like to watch
people. Osaka, like any metropolitan
area, has a great selection of shops, so I am sure to have plenty of people to
watch. One area I am particularly
interested in visiting is Den-Den Town or Nipponbasi. This is a shopping area, rather close to the
house I will be living at, that specializes in electronics and anime/manga. The pictures of this place are crazy! I can only imagine what it will be like in
person. One thing that makes this market
unique is it is one of the only places in Japan where you can haggle over
prices. Sounds like a fun experience.
Attractions – As with any large city, Osaka has a lot to
offer as far as attractions. There is
Universal Studios Japan (with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter), a massive aquarium, the world’s tallest/longest escalator that takes you to the top of the
Umeda Sky Building for amazing panoramic views of the entire area, and other
great places to see. Add to this list a
number of parks, flea markets, temples, hiking trials, and festivals, and I
will never have a free weekend!
History – Osaka was one of the first permanent capitals of
Japan, I found out. I knew about Kyoto,
but apparently in 645, Kōtoku built his capital in what became Osaka (it was called Nara
at the time). Anyway, rulers came and
went, sometimes unwillingly, and the official capital changed many times, but
Osaka, or whatever it was called at the time, was always important to the
Japanese economy as a major port. For
that reason, the city is draped in centuries of history. There are several important historical
landmarks in the region including a castle and a plethora of history museums. Several museums and area I have read about seem
to be set up as living history museums that you can explore. I will admit I
know very little of Japanese history, it wasn’t exactly core curriculum in
Texas, so I look forward to expanding my brain and my horizons.
To keep this from sounding like a school report, I will just
leave it at this: I was very lucky to be
placed in such an amazing area. There
are a lot of things that fit perfectly with my personality and interests. I would have been happy anywhere in Japan,
but Osaka seems like it has the right attitude and attractions for me. I am still excited to travel outside the
Kansai region and see Tokyo, Kyoto, and many other places, but Osaka seems like
the best place to call home. For a
little while anyway. A city of
hard-working, down-to-earth people who like to eat well and have a good time –
what more could I ask for?
No comments:
Post a Comment