Job Discussion Forums

[Black_Beer_Man]

What are the pros and cons of living in these two cities? And how different is it to live there?

Please post your opinions if you live or have lived in either of these cities. I have lived in Tokyo for several years and am now considering Osaka.

Tokyo

Pros >
1. The massive variety of shops and restaurants. If you can't find it here, it probably doesn't exist in Japan.

2. Train frequency. Only a few minutes wait for the next train during rush hours and maybe a 10 minute wait late at night.

3. Cheaper flight? Not 100% sure about this, but I believe since Tokyo is a bigger city, there are more flights in and out of the country. That means cheaper prices.

Cons >

1. Tokyo people are cold and unfriendly. Commuting to work is a war. Streams of people walk closely behind each other and won't let you in the line unless you threaten to ram them.

2. Crowds everywhere. When Japanese people enter a coffee shop, they search for and "reserve" vacant tables by putting their jackets and bags on them. Then, they order their food. If there weren't so many people in this city, they wouldn't have to do this. Same problem with public benches. Good luck trying to find a vacant one when you're tired and want to rest. Seems like finding anywhere to sit in this city is an ordeal.

[currentaffairs]

I would go for Osaka especially if you have already lived in Tokyo. Personally, I would be quite interested in Kyoto, Kobe and Nagoya as well.. A much slower pace of life compared to Tokyo, and you can still enjoy yourself!

[rxk22]

Osaka is less huge, and the people are way less zombie like. That said, it is still a sprawling city. It has some serious pollution problems, and the school systems are a mess. If possible I would choose Osaka, but it's not ideal imho. I'd rather go to a second tier city like Hiroshima. I'm not looking to party, I have kids, and thetype of place and it's environment is important to me.

[Rooster.]

Living in Osaka is great.

Like rxk22 said it's a big city, but it feels much more relaxed than Tokyo. The location to get to every place else is ideal.

Trains in Japan don't run 24/7 so the schedule for Osaka and Tokyo is probably pretty similar and Tokyo does have a slight edge in restaurants, but it's not major.

I say go for it. You can always move back.

[mitsui]

In Osaka the pay is less but people are friendlier.
People are casual in their dress and in their speech.
Less stress, partly because it is less crowded.

Tokyo is just about work. Life is cold and it is harder to make friends.
Life in Tokyo just feels tense. People keep up appearances, and can be really stuck up.

[Master Shake]

I say Osaka all the way.

I lived in Tokyo for over a year and visited Osaka a few times. The worst thing about Tokyo is that everyone works ridiculously long hours. Work is all they know - no time for hobbies and very little for socializing. So even when you go out to meet people, they're often very dull with almost no social skills. You just answer the standard preprogrammed gaijin questions over and over.

[move]

Osaka all the way. In Tokyo during rush hour, I often felt that people were one step away from snapping. Osaka has good food, friendly people, cheaper cost of living, and close proximity to other destinations such as Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara.

[Black_Beer_Man]

The problem with Tokyo is that it is too big. You're more likely to have to commute an hour or more to your job. Trains and subways seem to have no off peak hours. They're busy all the time and getting a seat is difficult. It's really unpleasant commuting in this city.

I went to Osaka last month and found that I was able to get a seat on the trains 75% of the time.

The downside for Osaka seems to be low salaries. The ads on Dave's and Gaijin Pot show many teaching jobs in Osaka paying in the 200,000 ~ 220,000 range. Dang!

[TokyoLiz]

Why is everybody so down on Tokyo? It's a huge place, but it's not monolithic.

If I had to choose a neighbourhood in Tokyo, I'd move to Ueno-Asakusa or Aagaya. I like the Shitamachi character - gruff, tough but with a heart of gold. Asagaya has great food, music, arts and cultural stuff and the crowd tends to be young.

When I hung out a lot in Ueno, Asakusa and "Yanesen" I walked and biked everywhere. Those neighbourhoods are fascinating for history and culture, and filled with character, and characters I've met.

I've only visited Osaka a few times. It's a much more laid back city than Tokyo. I'm sure it has its interesting neighbourhoods, too.

[currentaffairs]

As an English teacher in Tokyo you are commuting all over the place. Whether going to universities, offices or to private students. I was commuting for 2-3 hours most days.

Tokyo is also spread out so it takes ages to get from one place to another even at weekends. There are some nice neighbourhoods but you have to do a lot of travelling to get from a to b.

Rent is well over the top - 80,000 yen for a tiny studio flat in a place like Yutenji which is nowhere special. A few of my friends have houses in Tokyo but to get reasonably priced ones they are 20 mins by bus from the metro..!

Despite the above, I enjoyed myself but would definitely recommend the Kansai area now!

[kzjohn]

The walk-in f/x rates are better at banks in Osaka.

Or was it Tokyo...?

Or maybe it was Osaka...

[Maitoshi]

I hear the barbers are better in Osaka, too!

Or was it the bars?

Barmaids?

Hmmm. Yeah, the barmaids in bars are definitely better than those behind them!

[mitsui]

It is about people. I would prefer to talk to people, not be kept at arms length because I am foreign. Tokyo just reeks with xenophobia.

Tokyo people want to talk to people they know. They have cliques.
Osaka people are casual in their speech.

Work is everything. It leaves little time for anything else.

Osaka is work hard, party hard.
Tokyo is about overtime.

[Sudz]

How does Kyoto stack up? : )

[Black_Beer_Man]