I read a newspaper article about the way foreign guide books introduce Osaka.

It was very interesting, so I would like to maybe talk about it in this forum!

The article said...

Foreign guide books say "Osaka is a Yakuza(Japanese Mafia) city", "Osaka is a central place of organized crime gangs", "Osaka is an ugly city, but is anxious to be loved so much", and "Osaka has an ability to make sleazy comedies", etc...

Isn't this interesting???
Here are some questions for foreigners living in Osaka.

1.What were your impressions of Osaka before you arrived?
2.What did you know about Osaka?
3.Were these thoughts proved to be true when you arrived in Osaka?
4.Have your impressions of Osaka changed since you started to live here?
5.What attracts you to Osaka?
6.What information is needed to let people from overseas know about Osaka more efficient?

Please let us know your thoughts.
Thanks!

KAYO&YOKO


先日、興味深い内容のニュースを見ました。それは、海外のガイドブック・ウェブで大阪がどのように紹介されているかというものでした。とっても面白い内容なので、このフォーラムでみんなの意見を聞こうと思います！

そのニュースはこういった内容でした。。。

外国のガイドブック・ウェブに‘大阪はヤクザの街’、‘組織犯罪集団の多くの中心地である’、‘低俗な喜劇音才能に恵まれている’、‘街は醜いのに愛されることを切望している’等など。

こんな風に紹介されてるのを知って、びっくりしました。
そこで、実際に大阪に住んでいる外国人に質問してみたいと思います！

1.大阪に来る前に、持っていた大阪の印象は？
2.大阪に来る前に、どんな情報・何を知っていましたか？
3.実際に大阪に住んでみて、その情報は正しかったですか？
4.実際に大阪に住んでみて、大阪の印象は変わりましたか？
5.大阪を魅力に感じるポイントは？
6.大阪を外国の人にアピールするのにどんな情報が必要だと思いますか？

これらに関する答えをお待ちしております。
Thanks!

KAYO&YOKO

OUCH!

But Osaka is a pretty big station for the Yamaguchi-gumi, right? So you could say its a Yakuza city. But I don't see gangs of punch-permed, purple-shoes-wearing, pinky-less, aloha-shirt-wearing mafiosos running around.

I love Osaka. Its a lot prettier than Tokyo and all its concrete skyscrapers and boring faces. People are fun and interesting. I came here because of a job transfer, but I've always wanted to live here. So I'm happy that I had the chance.

Osaka DOES need some clean beaches though...

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I got your English...RIGHT HERE!

Yeh I have seen plenty of the yamaguchi clan here in the kansai too, not necessarily in Osaka but in Yamashina in Kyoto. Dude they are like chicken man ...they are Everywhere ! isnt that so cool ! just imagine the shit you could get up to if you were drinking buddies with a Yak-chan !!!!!

I`ve never thought of Osaka as a yakuza city, and I never had that impression before I came to Japan. I had heard about KOBE being the yakuza capital of Japan, though. Isn`t that the homebase of the Yamaguchi clan?

What I read about Osaka before I came here was that it`s an ugly-looking city, but is energetic and the people are more lively than elsewhere. Basically I think it`s true. Not only people from Osaka, but people from all over Kansai seem much more adventurous and fun-loving than people from elsewhere. No offense to anybody from Nagoya, but I went there recently and the people were boring as hell.

Also, before I came to Japan I had heard a lot about Osaka having a special dialect of Japanese. There are many many regional dialects of Japanese, but for some reason people overseas only hear about Osaka-ben or Kansai-ben.

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April 30th: 水煙草! Hookah!
May 7th: 高槻ジャズフェスティバル　Takatsuki Jazz Festival

hi!

Thank you for posting intersting messages!!!
so interesting.
We would like to have more opinions from more people.


メッセージをありがとう！
とっても興味深いです。
まだ、メッセージを投稿してない方も意見を聞かせてくださいねー。


KAYO&YOKO

I think your question is different in English and in Japanese.

To make Osaka appeal to people from overseas, you should probably give information about what makes the lifestyle here comfortable. For example, how it`s very easy to commute using trains and subways, and it`s small enough to ride your bike around; that it`s a busy city but that there are many quiet areas nearby (like Nara etc.); that there are lots of gyms (maybe you could list some gyms), etc. Also, a lot of people arrive here and don`t know where to buy foreign products, so maybe a list of import shops where you can buy those things would be useful. Many people come here and they can`t find things like peanut butter!! It`s not difficult to find, but you have to know where the shops are. It took me about 2 years to find enough shops to make me happy.

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Check out my bilingual blog

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http://paulsmansion.blogspot.com

April 30th: 水煙草! Hookah!
May 7th: 高槻ジャズフェスティバル　Takatsuki Jazz Festival

1. What were your impressions of Osaka before you arrived?
Well, I was told that the entire Kansai region was a far better choice than going to Tokyo due to its rich abundance in traditional japanese culture (Nara, Kyoto, Koya-san, etc... with all its temples, festivals, etc...)

2. What did you know about Osaka?
That it is the 2nd largest city in Japan. And that somewhere near was Kansai Gaidai. Nothing else.

3. Were these thoughts proved to be true when you arrived in Osaka?
Yes.

4 and 5. Have your impressions of Osaka changed since you started to live here? What attracts you to Osaka?
Well, here's where I get to really express my opinion. Well, when I first arrived to Osaka, I was really excited. I was in a completely different country, in a different continent, different Ocean, totally different culture and way of living and way of thinking. Everything was, and still is impressive, surprising, interesesting, sometimes shocking, and I always seem to discover something new.
Everyone is so kind, so respectful and attentive. Although, everything around me was totally different such as the language, the transportation, the food, etc... the kindness of the Kansai people made me feel welcomed and at home (specially, the Matsuura family). I have lived away from my family for too many years and rarely get to see them but there were those who made me feel part of the family.
Yakuza? Well, I live in Nipponbashi and often around Namba I see these guys in their black vans and loud speakers with funny Ricky Ricardo Tupe style hairstyles, yelling and screaming. I see tons of really expensive cars and dudes dressed very well (sometimes ostentatiously) and some dressed like it was mentioned earlier with purple shoes, pink suits, etc... They seem alright. They don't bother me... But then, since the winter started, I have noticed people are just not as nice as they have been up until now. Is it the cold weather? The thing is that they're not even Yakuza, just regular people of all walks of life are just not as kind and polite as they usually are.
On the 4th of January, my company held a huge meeting for everyone. Although, my japanese is still poor, I could understand what the big bosses were giving their speeches about : World War II, Americans firing at Yamato non-stop for 1 hour, USA now waging war with others, the Japanese blood,... bla, bla, bla... turns out that an Australian girl yawned just a bit, and although she covered her mouth, and other japanese were sleeping in the middle of the speeches, this big fish pointed at her and yelled in japanese "don't yell GAIJIN!" he said a few more things I need not mention here, but needless to say it bothered me. Then I found out that this same man had made another foreign girl, who used to work at our company, dance on the table for everyone, while having dinner at a public place with all other co-workers.
Maybe not related to Yakuza in particular, but why is there such a tension (and I don't mean the japanese "high tension" or "low tension") towards foreigners?
So, since then, I now notice how some people look at me sometimes. Something I had never noticed before. What a pity.
Anyway, that is my long post on that.

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Say what you mean, and mean what you say!

Yakuza and Uyoku Ultra-nationalists are not the same thing, though there are strong connections between their organizations. Your boss may be an ultra-nationalist sympathizer without being yakuza-connected.

He sounds like an asshole, much worse than most people here. Unfortunately he's in YOUR company, but try not to let him determine your attitude towards Japanese people. I've been called "gaijin" in a bad way maybe only 3 times in 3 years. People may give us funny looks and react strangely to us, but they're not trying to be mean.

It sounds like you're having a touch of culture shock. All of us go through it, and it's good to be aware that sometimes it's only our perception that has changed (and it sounds like you are aware of that!).

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Check out my bilingual blog

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http://paulsmansion.blogspot.com

April 30th: 水煙草! Hookah!
May 7th: 高槻ジャズフェスティバル　Takatsuki Jazz Festival

I don't know what to say.
All I've heard in relation to the yakuza is that they have amazing tattoos all over there body.

I've never been called a gaijin to my face.

1.Never really thought about it.
2.Nothing.
3.No, when I arrived I felt like I was underground the entire time.
4.I don't live in Osaka.
5.out of the way record shops.
I really can't answer question 6

luigi