Job Discussion Forums

[prlester]

I've been hired for a teaching job, but don't know if I should go back to kansai or to, for me new, kanto.
From what I remember in kansai (kobe), the weekdays are dead for clubs, bars etc.

How is tokyo. It's so huge, can one go out every night if they so fancy, without worrying if the night will be bust because no one is out.

It seems that since living in kobe, i lived for the weekends, it would be better to live in kanto, if there is a crowd is all week long. Also, if places to go are open, are they English friendly?

[womblingfree]

[MrCAPiTUL]

Lester, Re: having a good time, I've heard good things about fukuoka.

[kdynamic]

There is everything under the sun and moon in Tokyo. But if you want to party every weekend, be prepared to have an empty bank account!

[Zzonkmiles]

Think about this.

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan, period.

If Tokyo's nightlife is disappointing on the weekends, then any other place in Japan, including Osaka, will be even worse. Tokyo is the equivalent of America's New York or the UK's London in terms of its internationalism, size, and things to do in comparison to other large cities in the same country.

Keeping that in mind, obviously you could go clubbing every night in both Osaka and Tokyo, although weekdays will naturally be a bit more "dead" than weekends. This is probably true in every city in the world because, well, people WORK on weekdays. Also, Osaka's primary entertainment/nightlife districts are confined to Shinsaibashi and Umeda. Any bars outside of those two places tend to be local bars/watering holes, which are almost completely devoid of foreigners. (That's where you should go if you wanna get better at Japanese quickly.)

Both cities are Engish-friendly, although Tokyo is more English-friendly than Osaka. People in Tokyo also speak standard Japanese, as opposed to the Kansai dialect often used in Osaka, so it may be easier to understand the Japanese you hear Tokyo-ites speak.

[PAULH]

[prlester]

So nightlife during the weekdays is comparable for both cities? How does roppongi differ from shinshaibashi?

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

[prlester]

thanks for the heads up, but I don't drink. I would assume that the venues are similar. I was curious about the viability of going out without being the only guy in the club/bar/coffee shop because the nightlife is dead during the weekdays. I've never been to kanto, so I don't know if the weekdays are viable. and i've only been to osaka on the weekends.
Are weekdays the same between the cities?

sorry if I was not clear.

[bornslippy1981]

[tokyo story]

I go out most nights in Tokyo.

It's never dead and I agree that it's better than Sat and Sun trying to wade through Shibuya station or Shinjuku.

[Mark]

It really depends on what you're looking for from the nightlife. Tokyo has surprisingly little nightlife for a city of its size. Most people generally go to shot bars/izakayas/karaoke. If that's your thing, have a blast, but I think that stuff is basically the same anywhere in Japan.

The club scene is pretty limited, but it's bigger than in Osaka. Most areas are not super busy during the week.

One difference you'll probably notice is that in Tokyo the odds are that no one will talk to you. But, if you impose yourself on people, they'll generally humour you (especially if they're drunk).

You can go out every night in Tokyo if you want, but seriously prepare to have no money. Things are not cheap here and you're unlikely to live close to a major party centre.

Here's a typical night out of dinner and drinks followed by a club and then either a cab home or killing time at karaoke till the trains start:

Dinner and drinks: 3 to 5,000 yen
Club entrance: 0 to 2,000 yen
5 beers at club: 3,500 yen
Cab home: 2,500 yen
Karaoke: 1,500 yen

Those are just rough figures. If I start with dinner and expect to miss the train, then I basically figure on a 10,000 yen night.

But if you don't drink, scrimp on dinner and catch the train home, then you can easily have a night out for 2 or 3,000 yen.