By: Emily Connor
I recently got the opportunity to go to Osaka for the first time in order to do a few live shows. Living in Tokyo you never get the chance to hear too much about Osaka--other than the fact that they invented 'okonomiyaki' and that the famous comedy duo 'Downtown' hails from the region. So I really had no clue as to what expect when I got out of the car from the eight-hour car ride from Tokyo to Osaka.
The first area that we drove into is a place called 'America-mura', a bit of a dingy American-inspired shopping district filled with hip-hop wear and junk food stands. Apparently Osaka is famous for its junk food, and it was really made clear by all of the 'takoyaki', bubble tea and ice cream stands lining the streets. I even spotted one ice cream place that served soft-serve ice cream in a hotdog bun, and one place that sold Arizona Green Tea imported from the US. Impressive, I must say.
I was honestly flabbergasted by all of the hip-hop clothing stores, though. I've never really seen clothing stores in Japan that blast the music quite as much as the hip-hop clothing stores do in Osaka. Not only do a lot of people really embrace hip-hop fashion, they also sport a lot of tattoos. It's not highly uncommon to see young guys with a few tattoos in Japan, but I've never seen quite so many girls with tattoos as I did in Osaka. A lot of girls had their arms and backs inked in a really similar way to the girls back at home, and it was pretty surprising. I guess that a lot of people in Osaka really embrace Western culture.
Of course not everything in Osaka is hip-hop. I found one high-fashion shopping area that was absolutely beautiful, and many chic cafes that were easily just as lovely as cafes around Omotesando. I was only in Osaka for 2 days, so I didn't get to see as much as I would have hoped to see of the streets... But from what I could see at a glance Osaka seemed like a really chill place that would be nice to live in. People in general didn't seem nearly as rushed and panicked as a lot of people in Tokyo tend to be, so it was nice to be able to walk around slowly and take in the area.
I guess the only thing that I didn't like about Osaka was the takoyaki. Fellow foreigners and Japanese people alike have always told me to try takoyaki, and so I made an oath that if I ever had the opportunity to go to Osaka that I would give up my vegetarian-tendencies for a moment and try it. I wouldn't say that takoyaki tastes bad, I just personally don't see what all of the fuss is about. Okonomiyaki, on the other hand, is one of the best foods ever. I got the chance to go to a small okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka, and it was quite fantastically delicious.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my time in Osaka and hope to be able to go back someday for leisure purposes... Or for a few more concerts, I wouldn't complain either way. Honma ni.
I recently got the opportunity to go to Osaka for the first time in order to do a few live shows. Living in Tokyo you never get the chance to hear too much about Osaka--other than the fact that they invented 'okonomiyaki' and that the famous comedy duo 'Downtown' hails from the region. So I really had no clue as to what expect when I got out of the car from the eight-hour car ride from Tokyo to Osaka.
The first area that we drove into is a place called 'America-mura', a bit of a dingy American-inspired shopping district filled with hip-hop wear and junk food stands. Apparently Osaka is famous for its junk food, and it was really made clear by all of the 'takoyaki', bubble tea and ice cream stands lining the streets. I even spotted one ice cream place that served soft-serve ice cream in a hotdog bun, and one place that sold Arizona Green Tea imported from the US. Impressive, I must say.
I was honestly flabbergasted by all of the hip-hop clothing stores, though. I've never really seen clothing stores in Japan that blast the music quite as much as the hip-hop clothing stores do in Osaka. Not only do a lot of people really embrace hip-hop fashion, they also sport a lot of tattoos. It's not highly uncommon to see young guys with a few tattoos in Japan, but I've never seen quite so many girls with tattoos as I did in Osaka. A lot of girls had their arms and backs inked in a really similar way to the girls back at home, and it was pretty surprising. I guess that a lot of people in Osaka really embrace Western culture.
Of course not everything in Osaka is hip-hop. I found one high-fashion shopping area that was absolutely beautiful, and many chic cafes that were easily just as lovely as cafes around Omotesando. I was only in Osaka for 2 days, so I didn't get to see as much as I would have hoped to see of the streets... But from what I could see at a glance Osaka seemed like a really chill place that would be nice to live in. People in general didn't seem nearly as rushed and panicked as a lot of people in Tokyo tend to be, so it was nice to be able to walk around slowly and take in the area.
I guess the only thing that I didn't like about Osaka was the takoyaki. Fellow foreigners and Japanese people alike have always told me to try takoyaki, and so I made an oath that if I ever had the opportunity to go to Osaka that I would give up my vegetarian-tendencies for a moment and try it. I wouldn't say that takoyaki tastes bad, I just personally don't see what all of the fuss is about. Okonomiyaki, on the other hand, is one of the best foods ever. I got the chance to go to a small okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka, and it was quite fantastically delicious.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my time in Osaka and hope to be able to go back someday for leisure purposes... Or for a few more concerts, I wouldn't complain either way. Honma ni.
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