Korean Job Discussion Forums

jadarite

I have been told Osaka is like Seoul. Since I have been to both cities a few times, I was surprised to see the numbers at wikipedia for both cities. Whenever I am in Seoul, Seoul doesn't seem to be as crowded as Osaka. The subway cars aren't as packed as in Osaka either. I have taken the subway at different times in Seoul, morning, night, weekend, and on weekdays to compare since I will be moving to the Seoul area.

I really didn't like it in Osaka, but Seoul is different for some reason. Is it possible in Osaka there are pockets of very crowded areas and then other areas with no one, and in Seoul things are more evenly spaced out?

victorology · Joined: 10 Sep 2007

I think cities like Tokyo and Osaka are more dense than Seoul. If you look at the apartments, there are large collections of them but they have some wide open space. Also, the apartments in Korea are much larger. I did a homestay in Tokyo once and the family was pretty well off but their apartment was tiny.

I think more people in cities like Tokyo take public transportation for various reasons. I think the biggest are that taxis and parking is outrageously expensive. In Seoul, many places have free parking or parking for an hour or two for a couple thousand won.

Nemo · Joined: 28 May 2006

Actually, I have a contrary view to the OP.

When I was in Osaka, it felt significantly less crowded than Seoul.

Even in the narrowest streets, there seemed to be no one.

Css · Joined: 27 Sep 2004 Location: South of the river

fustiancorduroy · Joined: 12 Jan 2007

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Sometimes I found Osaka more than Seoul, sometimes the opposite. I absolutely loved Osaka more. And of course Seoul is more spacious, they basically built it back up with foreign help after the war. Osaka has just been built upon since forever. Sapporo is a bit more like Seoul that Osaka (though not completely).

nzfooty · Joined: 28 Jul 2007

Osaka is a very nice city. Just remember that it�s part of a larger Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area that has 17.5 million people. So while it is slightly smaller than the Seoul National Capital Area, the 5 million difference may not be that noticeable to a mere mortal.

One may feel more crowded than the other in certain parts.

But I do agree with some of the other sentiments expressed here, Osaka seemed in places (and sometimes near downtown) surprisingly quiet with only few individuals taking a stroll.

So much cleaner than Seoul, too.

brento1138 · Joined: 17 Nov 2004

I found Osaka to be quite spacious, even in the downtown area. They seem to put more space on the street for people. And not so much traffic at the bottom "layer" of the city. They have lots of overpasses that take all the traffic thru & over the city without you even noticing it. I quite liked that.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I don't think Seoul quite compares to the Osaka metropolitan area.

Are they the lemmings · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject:

Imbroglio

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

cultured......... except about their own past negative history? Japan's WWII section in high school text book is a few pages long according to my Japanese friends.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

darkcity · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: SF, CA

anyway...osaka was sweeeeeeeet!!!

denser in places and their version of 588 actually had a few hot girls (like AV quality...10s)

denser in places, other places are pretty laid back, a few drunk old guys fighting like in seoul. everything is just better in osaka for me personally. except i have fewer friends there. and i can't get drunk off $8 like i can in seoul.