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Globetrotta · Joined: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 3

I am applying to an English school which gave me the option of choosing four top cities. I have chosen Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Fukuoka. I am looking for a vibrant nightlife and good lifestyle (Tokyo excluded).

What order would you place these four cities?

I Thank you in advance for any feedback.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Osaka. They have Japan's funkiest theme-room love hotels.

Yes. That's all I have on my mind.

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Globetrotta,

Define nightlife.

jimdunlop2, gotta agree with you there. Whacky's an understatement.

melirae · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 145 Location: Korea

I concur that Osaka is best for partying. There is an endless assortment of bars and clubs. You can find any type of music or bars just to hang out and play pool at.

Zzonkmiles · Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Posts: 309

I live in Osaka, but I would have to say Kobe has a much better nightlife. Kobe is a city of art and music. Lots of jazz bars, rock bars, etc. there. And Kobe might be the most gaijin-friendly city in Japan after Tokyo. Osaka has Umeda, Shinsaibashi, and Namba for partying, but for a city of this size, you'll probably be disappointed by the surprisingly limited amount of places to party here. Like any city, however, your nightlife will probably be more fun if you can speak Japanese. That way, you can go to almost any club you want, including ones only frequented by Japanese, which will likely be different from your traditional gaijin bar (Pig and Whistele, etc.) or gaijin club (Sam and Dave, Bar Isn't It, etc.).

Kyoto's main party district is Shijo, but it's akin to a party strip of a small college town--just one main street of bars and restaurants. Kyoto has too many tourists to make me consider living there. If you like temples and tourists traps, Kyoto is for you.

I've never been to Fukuoka, so I can't comment on that.

My vote goes for Kobe.