Job Discussion Forums

[Ferfichkin]

Hi everybody,

My name is Tyler. I'm living and working in Taipei right now, but after my contract is up I'm thinking about going to Japan. I was figuring that I would go to Tokyo, but a lot of people, including my Japanese roomate from Tokyo, said that people in Tokyo are very unfriendly and that the people in Osaka are the complete opposite. Basically, I just want to know if this is true or not.

The second thing that I would like to get is an overall Tokyo vs. Osaka impression, hence the poll. I realise that there are probably advantages and disadvantages to both, but overall, which city do you prefer and why?

Thanks a lot for you help,
Tyler

[Brooks]

depends what you want. If you aren`t as concerned about money, try Osaka.
But if you have debt and/or want to make money, go to Tokyo.

The Kansai area is more interesting.
Tokyo is just a place for work. Tokyo is big and spread out.
People generally aren`t friendly. Tokyo is really crowded.

My wife is from Osaka and she can`t stand Tokyo. She told me one more year and that`s it. So, I will be looking for jobs later this year.

I was at a wedding on Saturday in Umeda and my wife got to meet a lot of people she used to work with. She was told that she has changed, that now she talks less and listens more and that she is quiet at work in Shinjuku.
But when she worked in Tennoji she would act like a clown and talk a lot.

[SEndrigo]

I hear you Brooks!

But I don't necessarily think Kansai is more interesting than Tokyo! Around Osaka you have Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji, etc. Those places are all great, but around Tokyo you have Kamakura, Nikko, Yokohama, etc.
Those are interesting places as well.

Both Tokyo and Osaka are crowded and expensive. Tokyo has more and better jobs, without a doubt!

More opportunities for leisure, more parks, and it's a more diverse city than Osaka.

Nor do I think all Tokyo people are more unfriendly! Remember there are lots of people in Tokyo, from all parts of Japan, so you can meet Japanese people from Sendai, Miyazaki, Tokyo, Osaka, etc.

I really can't say which city is better, I live in Tokyo but I've visited Osaka. They're both great cities, at the end of the day it all depends on what you're looking for!

[Brooks]

I have met nice people in Tokyo, but usually, since their jobs are demanding, I don`t often get a chance to meet them.
That is partly because my own job keeps me busy.

for me it is a preference.
I prefer Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe to what is around Tokyo.
I haven`t been to Nikko, since it is too far, but I think I will visit in March.
In the Kansai area, it is easy to get around by train.
For example, you can take an express train from Kobe to Kyoto, and it takes about 50 minutes.

[Big John Stud]

[quote="Ferfichkin"]Hi everybody,

My name is Tyler. I'm living and working in Taipei right now, but after my contract is up I'm thinking about going to Japan. I was figuring that I would go to Tokyo, but a lot of people, including my Japanese roomate from Tokyo, said that people in Tokyo are very unfriendly and that the people in Osaka are the complete opposite. Basically, I just want to know if this is true or not.

The second thing that I would like to get is an overall Tokyo vs. Osaka impression, hence the poll. I realise that there are probably advantages and disadvantages to both, but overall, which city do you prefer and why?

Thanks a lot for you help,
Tyler[/quote]

This is a tough question! I like both cities. I like Osaka slightly more but as you wrote each city has advantages and disadvantages. The reason why I slightly and I do mean slightly like Osaka more is because the night life! People are very friendly in Osaka and jsut about every place I've been has really good food!

[Rorschach]

Osaka is a more interesting place but it has a decidely blue-collar feeling about it. Tokyo has more parks and such in the city but Osaka has more interesting locals surrounding it which ae very accessible by train (Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Mino, Shiga etc.) There are more job opportunities in Tokyo and the pay is generally higher on average but you sacrifice other things (cost and lifestyle for example). Most Osaka people I speak to dislike Tokyo people intensely because they get the impression Tokyo people look down on them. I can understand the feeling as most Tokyo students I have taught consider most Osaka people to be takoyaki loving, munzai spouting hicks.

[Brooks]

and yet the reality is that a lot of people in Tokyo are just hicks from Kanto, Tohoku, or other parts of rural Japan, and they pretend to be sophisticated.

I would say Osaka is more blue-collar.
Many white-collar jobs have moved from Osaka to Tokyo as the companies moved there since the 1960s.
Tokyo certainly has more money, and Osaka must have more poverty and homeless.

[Rorschach]

The homelessness and poverty are more visible in Osaka, especially in the large parks. There was a big fuss this week because the city governement evicted a bunch of people from the inner city parks. I like Osaka but I have to admit it is one ugly place - aesthetically there is little to nothing redeeming about it.

[Gordon]

I'd go with neither place, I don't care for either of them. I'd go to Kobe, Hiroshima or Fukuoka. Not as many opportunities, but nicer places to live IMO.

[Rorschach]

The good thing about Osaka is that you can live in a nicer area such as Kobe, Nara or Kyoto and commute to the City. These areas aren't 'Sallaryman suburbs' either, they have character and are liveable. I know a couple of teachers at work who do this. It's a 40-50 minute commute but they all agree that it is worth. The best train line to be on to do this is the Hankyu, its fast, cheap and the cars are wide enough to accomodate enough people without feeling like a sardine can (hello Keihan and Midosuji).

[TK4Lakers]

My Dad, who was born and grew up in Japan, told me Osaka is a very attractive place to live and work and that it is very "practical." Not sure what he exactly means by that, but just wanted to throw it out there.

[Big John Stud]

As I wrote above, I slightly favor Osaka, but Tokyo is not that bad! I am surprised that no one wrote anything positive about Tokyo.
The advantage of Tokyo is that no matter what you want or want to do it can be found or done near by!
Osaka people think Tokyo people are snobs, and Tokyo people think Osaka people are noisy! Both places have their share of homeless. On Monday police in Osaka forced homeless out of two parks, Utsubo Park in central Osaka and Osaka Castle Park.

[Mark]

I think that Tokyoites do looks down on people from other parts of Japan. I'm not sure why, but I find that people whose families have lived in Tokyo for a long time tend to not do that as much. Most people in Tokyo are not originally from Tokyo, or at least their parents aren't.

The general attitude in Tokyo is to try to be too cool for school. You live in Tokyo, so nothing could possibly faze you.

All I know is that whenever I talk to an Osakan, I feel like I'm talking to a regular person. In my experience, they tend to be witty, casual and able to integrate themselves into a conversation. A lot of Tokyoites will simply stop talking if you stop asking them questions. Osakans actually have conversation skills.

As for money and jobs, though, Tokyo is better, especially if you'd like to do something besides teaching. But it's important to remember that it takes time to get access to these better opportunities. If you're only coming for a year or two, then I don't think there are any career advantages to living in Tokyo. And the housing costs and living expenses are so high here that even with a higher salary you'd probably save less than you would in Osaka.

Not to mention that in order to get more reasonable living expenses, a lot of people live out in the burbs. If you're cool with that and cool with long commutes on the train, then that's fine.

Basically, I think the bottom line is that unless you have a particular reason for living in Tokyo or plan to live here for a long time, it's better to go somewhere else. I came to Tokyo because I had a lot of Japanese friends here. If not for that, I would've gone to Sapporo/Osaka/Fukuoka/etc. The main reason I stay here is because most of my friends live here and I've got contacts and connections and so on. Tokyo is way more expensive even than Osaka, so you need a lot of money to live a decent life and still send money back home.

But, on the flip side, bear in mind that some people find other cities in Japan to be too small. When you think that very few Japanese can speak English, and few Japanese like Western-style nightlife/parties (mingling, talking to new people, etc.), a city of a million people can feel pretty small. It's true that there's absolutely everything in Tokyo. I was in a cab the other day and we drove by something called "the accordian culture appreciation club". And the foreign community here is much bigger and much more diverse than in other Japanese cities.

So, yeah, it's up to you. If you're getting an entry-level job with one of the conversation schools, I'd say you'd probably be better off in Osaka/Kansai, but if you need the Tokyo experience (and it's like nothing else in the world), then take the plunge.

[Big John Stud]

Mark gave really good advice in his above post. I just would like to add a little. I have lived in both. Tokyo is expensive the most expensive city in the world, however Osaka is second. And like Tokyo living in the suburbs is cheaper but then a long commute.
Trains in Tokyo run more often than in Osaka but during rush how sardines have more space than people do in those trains. And a long commute means being squashed against someone and smelling what they ate for breakfast or worse their ashtray like breath!
Over all I find people in both places to be friendly. Osaka people are a little more talkative, but Tokyo people are very friendly and helpful. Mark is right about small towns. Most people living in small towns don't want anything to do with guijin(foreigners) and he is right about a town of a million could feel very small or even isolated.

[Brooks]

My wife explained it like this:

if you go out with co-workers in Osaka, people may talk about work, but not only. They can separate their job with their free time.
But in Tokyo, at an enkai with co-workers it feels like work. Many people get drunk yet can`t seem to let their hair down.

In Tokyo, it seems that a lot of people are uptight and tense, but in Osaka, I don`t feel that tension

my wife gets down on Tokyo, and I tell her that it`s not all bad.
For shopping, cultural events, museums, and networking, it is the place to be.

But I think I have had my fill. I want to see trees and mountains, and not just concrete.
Another thing is, I would prefer to be better at Japanese.
I find in Tokyo, it is harder to practice with people. Many people have seen me as just a free English lesson, or are just too busy,etc.

In Osaka, I have been able to talk to people and actually converse because they wanted to.

I think in other parts of Japan, it is easier to improve your Japanese.
Certainly people I have met and/or heard about in Kyoto and Osaka, know more Japanese than I do.

For example, a boss at a language school in Namba said that her English has gotten worse since the foreign teachers lately have been better at Japanese than the previous ones.
Instead of expecting her to speak English, they speak to her in Japanese.

And, a bartender in Kyoto a few years back said that my Japanese wasn`t as good as the other foreigners she had met before. "Ah," she said. "You don`t live here. You work in Tokyo. I see."