Japan 2006: Kobe and Osaka

Dotombori, Osaka

Kobe
Kobe, where the reception was held, was the site of the catastrophic earthquake of 1995. But redevelopment had advanced so dramatically that it was impossible to see any damage the city had sustained.

Kobe is also famous for Kobe beef. Incidentally beef was first introduced to Japan by westerners. Since then, the Japanese life expectancy has decreased (just kidding). But frankly, with all the alcohol, smoking, work-related stress and more MacDonalds than ever before, the average Japanese life expectancy is bound to drop in the future. I did not try Kobe beef as it was more expensive than what one can get at Angus House at Ngee Ann City.

Osaka Castle

Osaka
I also visited Osaka, the second most-populous city in Japan. Osaka, and Osakans included, is known to be louder and brassier than the rest of Japan. In fact, the entire Kansei area (including Osaka and Kobe), a flat plain and the main rice-growing region of Japan, has a remarkably different culture and temperament to other parts of Japan.

According to my Japanese friend, Kyohi, the entrepreneurial computer programmer who grew up in Tokyo, it is easy to tell apart an Osakan from and a Tokyo-ite. (Mariko is from Tokyo, while Tsuyoshi, known for stripping whenever he is drunk, is from Kobe.) Osakans speak a different dialect than Tokyo-ites, and talk louder on the train. Osakans would even try to bargain for prices in Tokyo even though few shops ever entertain bargaining. Osakans even stand on the different side of the escalator than in Tokyo, which contradicts the local driving direction.

Dotombori, the entertainment and dining hub of the city, is equally telling of the this Kansei spirit. The area is a lively place with brightly-lit restaurants and equally loud waitresses assaulting you on all your senses. At times, it feels more like Las Vegas than Las Vegas itself. In fact, this apparently disastrous planning of the city is one reason why Tsuyoshi decided to pursue a Masters degree in planning at USC.

The cuisine of Osaka is just as loud and in-your-face. Mayonnaise-topped takoyaki (flour balls stuffed with octupus) and okonomiyaki (egg pancakes filled with almost anything you can think of), two of the local delights, are unusually piquant and savoury for what foreigners have come to expect of Japanese cuisine.

While in Osaka, I visited Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle), a well-embraced local attraction fully restored in recent years. Do not be fooled by its austere facade. The inside of the castle houses a modern musuem and even have elevators. Osaka-jo is located in the midst of the city park, where hanami parties are held side by side with rave concerts for teenagers.