Job Discussion Forums

[MattElz]

Can you describe the Kansai in comparison to the rest of Japan? (Regional character in general)?

[PAULH]

[MattElz]

Are the people friendlier than in Kanto? How would you compare the cultures of Osaka and Tokyo (for a foreigner)?

[viddy]

[PAULH]

There are actually whole books you can buy which teach you Osaka dialect- though an Osaka person can make themselves understood in Tokyo and speak regular Japanese people will know they come from Kansai by the expressions they use. For example

kansai people say Okii ni (as in 'big) for 'arigatou', verb endings end in-ahen' instead of '-imasen' e.g. shirahen. wakaran, ikan etc. Ask someone how they are and they say 'bochi-bochi' (so-so). -tte simau becomes chau
e.g itte shimau (final completed act of going) becomes ichau. (not sure iof this is Kansai-ben but they say this down here)

Go to Kyushu (Kagoshima) or Okinawa I hear its like a different language down there

[Brooks]

I work in Tokyo yet my girlfriend is from Osaka.
She agreed to move here, but she had her reservations.
She is very proud of her dialect and feels that she has to learn kanto ben in Tokyo in order to fit in.
I thought it was strange, because she used to say that she wanted to leave Osaka and go somewhere else.


My girlfriend came this weekend and my boss and I and her spent one day together. My boss was glad to speak Osaka ben with her.
It seems to me that Japan is very regional, and has many dialects, comparable to Britain.

I know a woman from Tokyo who lives in Osaka with her boyfriend who is from Osaka. Yet she refuses to speak Osaka ben. She will only speak Tokyo ben.

At my school, there are teachers who are from other parts of Japan and they socialize with each other, and they prefer each other`s company. They are from Wakayama, Mie, Aomori, and Kagoshima. They would rather drink with each other than with Tokyo people.

What Kansai people say is that Tokyo people are cold (although this is said about Kyoto people too). And that Tokyo is just about work and money.

[Gordon]

The Japanese are like everyone else, with their prejudices of various dialects.

[unchi pants]

[Brooks]

at my school in Tokyo the gossip is out of control. The mentality is like a small town.
It seems to me that there is gossip anywhere.

Tokyo can be like a big city anywhere. There is a lot of anonymity. Some people like it but I don`t.
One of my students said many people in Tokyo are lonely. Ironic. In one of the biggest cities of the world, it is so crowded and semai but people often can`t connect.

I find the lack of spontaneity lame. To get together, people have to check their schedules to see if they have time next week.

Another difference with Kansai is clothing. Osaka clothes are supposed to be more colorful.

I would disagree with Paul H about Osaka being the business capital. Everything is in Tokyo. Tokyo is THE capital.
(although there is talk of moving the national government outside Tokyo in order to reduce congestion).
So many businesses left Osaka for Tokyo years ago. And it is much easier to find work in Tokyo than in other parts of Japan.
But more people look for work in Tokyo, so there is competition for jobs.
For hundreds of years Osaka was the business center and Kyoto was the political capital. I think it was after the war and especially since the 1960s that Osaka companies have relocated.

[PAULH]

Brooks,

I guess you forgot to mention that everyone except Yomiuri Giants sucks.

At least we don't Shintaro Ishihara for Governor.

[Brooks]

no the Giants sucked too. Well they were merely ok last year.
Hara resigned.
Hanshin did a great job.

Isehara is terrible and so racist.

Well Paul, if my girlfriend hates Tokyo, we`ll go to Kansai.

[unchi pants]

[Brooks]

nah.
I hear Osaka and the Kansai area is a good place for lifers.
So that`s good enough for me.
Tokyo is too big for me.

[shmooj]

[easyasabc]