The urban equivalent of the Elephant
Man,
OSAKA , Japan's third
largest city after Tokyo and
Yokohama, yearns to be loved despite
its ugliness. It may well lack the
pockets of beauty and refinement
found in nearby Kyoto
, but beyond the unrelenting
concrete cityscape, Osaka is a
vibrant metropolis, inhabited by
famously easy-going citizens with a
taste for the good things in life.
The handsomely renovated castle, Osaka-jo
, dominates Osaka's heart just as it
did centuries ago, while the
venerable Shitenno-ji and Sumiyoshi
Taisha hark back to the city's
past importance as a religious
centre. In contrast, bizarre modern
buildings, such as the
spaceship-like Osaka Dome
sports stadium and the fantastic aquarium
at the Tempozan Harbour Village,
thrust forth from the urban sprawl
like shiny gems; they have recently
been joined by a large-scale theme
park, Universal Studios Japan.
But what is really special about
Osaka is its people, who speak one
of Japan's more earthy dialects, Osaka-ben
, and are as friendly as Kyoto folk
can be frosty. Osakans may greet
each other saying "Mo
kari-makka?" (Are you making
any money?), but they also know how
to enjoy themselves once work has
stopped. Whereas Tokyo has shut down
its once thriving Harajuku band
scene, Osakans still thrash out rock
tunes by the castle every Sunday,
while across town in Tennoji-Koen,
you'll find entertaining al fresco
karaoke song-and-dance shows.
Downtown Shinsaibashi is an eternal
fancy-dress parade of matronly
shoppers and boozy bons viveurs
, where bequiffed lads cast their
nets for mini-skirted girls on the
Ebisu-bashi (fishing bridge). In a
city which cultivated high arts
, such as Bunraku puppetry, the
locals also have a gift for lowlife
comedy; Takeshi "Beat"
Kitano, the internationally famous
film director, started his career as
a comedian in Osaka, while
"Knock" Yokoyama, another
retired funny man, was elected
prefectural governor in the late
1990s, before resigning over a
sexual harassment case in late 1999.
Osaka is also one of Japan's great food
cities, but Osakans are not precious
about their cuisine, a typical local
dish being takoyaki ,
battered octopus balls, usually sold
as a street snack.
Osaka also feels a more welcoming
place for foreigners. It has Japan's
largest community of Koreans and a
growing gaijin population.
There's also a willingness to face
up to uncomfortable social issues,
exemplified by the city's admirable
civil rights museum, Liberty
Osaka , which among other things
focuses on Japan's untouchables, the
Burakumin.
If you want to escape Osaka's
urban landscape and preoccupations
for a day, take a trip out to Takarazuka
, home of the eponymous musical
drama troupe. As well as taking in
one of the all-female troupe's
glitzy shows, you can check out the
imaginative artwork at the Tezuka
Osamu Manga Museum, a showcase
for local artist Tezuka, widely
regarded as the god of manga
(comic books).
