Job Discussion Forums

[Birdog3344]

I'm heading to Osaka in February and my housing agent is asking for my preference for housing. I'm arriving with my girlfriend so our first priority is a private apartment together. We are willing to spend a bit more for a larger more modern apartment but are stuck in terms of location. For those of you who live in the area (defined by the agent as in or near Osaka) what do you recommend we ask for? We want to be reasonably close to all modern conveniences (ie. shopping, train station, etc) but are wary of being overwhelmed in an overcrowded, industrial city. What areas have you found to be pleasant or unpleasant to live in? And what other preferences do you suggest we list? Of course, I realize that housing is based on availability and no guarentees are made, but nonetheless....

[canuck]

I suggest places inside the Osaka Loop Line. It's convenient, cheaper when you want to take a taxi home after drinking after last train or you can ride your bicycle to and from.

[gt37]

I would suggest somewhere near Osaka station. You would then have easy access to Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka.

[Speed]

I started a similar thread before I came to Kansai but hardly anyone replied to my post. I'm glad your having better luck.

I recommend Juso, which is right across the Yodogawa River from Umeda.
It's one of the hubs for the Hankyu lines and every train stops here. All 3 major Hankyu lines converge here: Kobe, Takarazuka, and Kyoto lines.

Also if you miss your last train in Umeda, you can walk across the bridge spanning the Yodogawa River in about 15 minutes. (Bicycle in 5 minutes).

The area is quite famous for it's numerous love hotels and "play" places for men with procreation on their minds.

BUT it also has lots of places to chow down and drink up! A small area with lots of action.

Juso has a sleazy reputation (it's really not that bad at all), so rent tends to be on the cheaper side compared to the prices you'd have to pay on the other side of the river.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

[MindlessFudge]

Just like Speed said. Reputation for being sleezy but is really a fun place to hang out. It can be kind of noisy what with all the traffic, but that all depends on where in Juso you are. All in all it's centrally located and very convenient.
Also, check out the classifieds at www.kansaiscene.com, Kansai Flea Market (I can't remember the URL), or various others. You might very well find ads for apartments that are foreigner friendly.
From what I understand, the farther north you go in Osaka the more expensive housing gets. Obviously this is a generalization and does not hold true for every case. Other people could probably lecture with more authority on this topic than I have.
If you're looking for convenience and cheaper housing, I would go with either Juso or somehwere south of Juso. Plenty of other people on this forum know Osaka better than I do, so I hope they post some of their own ideas/suggestions in terms of good or bad places to live.
Best of luck.

[PAULH]

[MindlessFudge]

Paul, I'm arriving February 20th, a Sunday. Anytime after that. Would love to hook up with you and see if you have any more pointers for someone new to the industry.
Now get to bed. It's late in Kyoto

[Zzonkmiles]

Living inside the Kanjo-sen/Loop Line is more convenient, but the apartments are also a bit more expensive. Also, living near any train or subway station is going to cost more than apartments that are a good 10-15 minute walk away, regardless of the neighborhood.

The five main transportation hubs in Osaka are Umeda, Namba, Tennoji, Shin Osaka, and Kyobashi. Rent in any of these areas is likely to be expensive, although Tennoji may be cheaper because of its proximity to Shin Imamiya, where lots of homeless people live. I would venture to say that the further south you go in Osaka (once you pass Namba), the cheaper and seedier the neighborhoods become. Hirano-ku, Nishinari-ku, Ikuno-ku, and the other wards in the southern and southeastern parts of Osaka seem to be a bit more "working class." They also have a lot more immigrants.

Avoid living in the three northernmost wards (any of the Yodogawa wards), as transportation there is a bit more difficult. There's no subway service to those areas, for example. Oh, and you also might want to avoid living in areas where you'd have to rely solely on buses (such as Taisho-ku).

My personal advice is to find an apartment in a neighborhood that is actually on the Loop Line, rather than inside it. That way, you could travel to Umeda and Tennoji easily. Oh yeah, and the JR (Japan Railways--the company that operates the Loop Line) operates a bit later than the subway does, so that can save you on taxi fare. The Loop Line shuts down a little after midnight. The subways tend to shut down about 30-45 minutes earlier. JR tickets also tend to cost less than subway tickets, so that can save you some money as well.

Many foreigners live in Tsuruhashi (many Koreans) and Kita Tatsumi (many NOVA teachers). Tsuruhashi has a subway station and a JR Loop Line station and is not too far away from Namba. Kita Tatsumi, which is also serviced by the same subway line as Namba and Tsuruhashi, is a bit farther out, but the cost of living there is much cheaper. Living near Umeda (Nakatsu, Yodoyabashi, Sakurabashi, Tenma) is going to cost your wallet dearly. So will that tempting apartment in Shinsaibashi or Tanimachi-4 chome. Living way out at the end of the Midosuji-sen (red subway line) or Tanimachi-sen (purple subway line) might save you some money (I've seen many ads for apartments in Nagahara asking only 25,000 yen/month), but you'll be so far away from everything that it's not worth it.

[Birdog3344]

Great advice guys, keep 'em comming. Not to get too picky, but i'm also interested in neighborhoods that have some green space. It would be nice to find an apartment with a park near-by. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Zzonkmiles]

I don't mean to sound snide or anything, but this is Osaka we're talking about. There is no green space. If it's that important, then living in a suburb and commuting might be better for you. Amagasaki, Takatsuki, Yao, Moriguchi, or even Nara might be a better bet.

[Birdog3344]

[PAULH]

You may also consider Morinomiya which is next to Osaka castle park One or two stops from kyobashi.

Nagai Koen park in the south but this area is a bit working class.


Many areas will have a large department store near the station and some have a food hall in the basement. Buying food is usually not really a problem. Nara has several large department stores nearby. Ito Yokado and Nara Family in Saidaiji. Nara Family is an 8 or 9 floor department store with a restaurant floor. Nara has a shopping street near the main station (Kintetsu or JR) with Japanese or western restaurants, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Most of those that he mentions are a 20-30 minute commute. I live near Nara and its a bit further out, about 40 minutes west of Namba. More green out here and you are in the cradle of Japanese history as it was Japans capital about 1000 years ago. Rents are better out here too and many commute to work in Osaka though trains are crowded in the mornings. I pay 85,000 yen for a 90 sq meter 2 room apartment with living dining and kitchen. If I was in Osaka I would be paying 150,000 yen a month. Nara has quite a large open space as well as the former palace ruins up up here as well as many temples.

Maybe i can suggest Ikoma area, gakuenmae? These are about 30 minutes from central Osaka on the Namba-Nara train line. Last express train to Nara is about 11.40 pm but you can take locals if you miss that to Ikoma, or the Osaka side of the mountain.

[osakajojo]

[osakajojo]

[canuck]