I know it well...though didn't see much enlightenment happen. Only a skinny person or child can fit through. (It is the same size as the Daibutsu's nostril)

Osaka is full of　street toughs.
and..different from the std dialect.

reason why Tokyo is better
because I live in Tokyo:ywave:

haha that is a good reason to like tokyo better.

i love kansai dialect, i think is sounds much nicer for men to say than standard dialect.

I, too, prefer the Kansai dialect(s). I think they reflect more emotion, as do Kansai people.

I actually find Kansai dialect interesting, especially since it's, kind of, equivalent to those who speak in a Southern vernacular here in the states.

Kind of...sort of...not really...

I have heard more than a couple Tokyo-ites say they wish they had a "dialect" as they felt the standard Japanese...Tokyo Japanese...was too boring. Most of the top comedians are from the Kansai region, and that's no accident (and it's more than because of Yoshimoto Talent Agency)

What I have noticed is that when Kansai people are talking together, they constantly insert jokes, put each other down (in a friendly way) and are trying to find ways so insert humor into almost any conversation. Tokyo conversations aren't like that. (Not that Tokyo people don't have a sense of humor...far from it...but it's just a different way of communicating.)I think in Kansai it is more constant. In that respect, it's harder to offend a Kansai person, but you also need to have thick skin and a sense of humor to keep up. They also talk very fast in the Kansai area, so it's good training for getting conversational Japanese down. The wit is very sharp and fast, and if you miss a "cue" of some self-depracating humor, you might get booed.

For example, someone might say. "I just finished a sudoku, and it only took me 3 weeks. I was pretty proud because on the cover it said '10 years and up'." Now if you don't immediately reply "なんでやねん？!" ("What the hell are you thinking?" is one translation) your conversation partner might literally fall out of his chair as an indication that you've derailed the conversation.

which train were you using? basically, that only happens on a weekday from 800am - 900am and mostly on Midosuji line or the JR Loop line.

yeah one thing i like about osaka is that its busy but not chaotic, one thing is that I think half of the people are underground. Most people prefer the underground passageways especially on summer or winter season.:D

Interesting. I never knew that, but I guess I should've phrased what I wrote better. I was thinking along the lines of the way the words are pronounced. I've heard a little bit of Kansai-ben, and seems they stretch out syllables when talking.

Yeah, it was the JR Loop Line that I was taking in Tokyo. I tried to stay near the door as much as possible so that when my stop came up I wouldn't have to squeeze through too many people.

I took many trains and subways in Osaka, and "crowded, standing room only" was the worst it ever got in my experience, never to the point of "we can squeeze a few more in if we push hard enough..."

I still loved osaka and i preferred to live there... although were here now staying in tokyo...
there are many different things between (osaka) kansai people & (tokyo) kanto people...
taste of foods are also different...　味がぜんぜんちゃう (aji ga zenzen chau)

people in tokyo, mostly are not originally from tokyo... it has been mixed up by another area and mostly came from provinces... and thats why tokyo is too crowded...

(honmani osaka daisuki) ほんまに大阪大好き　:pandahurray: