lol wtf? ^_^''

I see, thanks for that... You surf, so i was wondering is there anywhere near Osaka for surfing at all? If not, how far is the closest decent beach?

there is nothing that is terribly close to osaka, you would need to take a trip down the the wakayama breaks. these beaches, like most in japan, are very busy. they get all the osaka people coming down. however if you go out in the wet season with all the storms there will only be surfers out getting on the big swell. if you are up for a few hours travel in a different direction than shikoku is a good place to hit, but really a car is best for hitting either of these two places so you can get somewhere away from the crowds. check out this:
Japansurf.com - Everything you need to know about surfing in Japan!

Wicked, thanks... i didn't know that site existed...

I'll have to see when i have time, but i think it'll only be during the summer... but when you say busy, is it like dangerously busy so you have to watch every move you make as not to hit anyone busy or do you mean beach is busy with people tanning and the waters are not so busy!!!

i don't know what you are used to when you go surfing.. but i surf a lot in colder months and the crowds are minimal. in japan there are plenty of people competing for the waves.. and if you are at the main beaches in wakayama for example then you ahve a lot of swimmers on the hot days as well. summer is the ebst time for surfing on the pacific side of japan, because of the typhoons bringing in the swell.

Osaka, if given the choice between the two. I don't care for city life much and Tokyo strikes me as such.

Then you probably wouldn't care for Osaka, either...

so very true ^^ Osaka is very much city life also. I really curious how people imagine Osaka, Tokyo gets a lot of media exposure so people have some idea visually. It is interesting how people imagine things who haven't been there.

Tokyo is over 10 million people as I recall, which is huge, sprawling as far as the eye can see. Osaka though has 2.6 million people, still a huge city. It has subways, all night discos, a smaller version of Akihabara called Den Den town, and most everything you'd find in any other big city. I'd say that Tokyo had more western restaurants than Osaka, but that's about it. Osaka is IMO in a part of Japan that is surrounded by history and nature, more so than Tokyo. A short train ride can take you to the beaches of Wakayama, the temples of Kyoto, Nara park, Himeji castle, Mt. Koya, Lake Biwa, and many other places. Maybe it's because I lived near Osaka and so I knew about all those things, while I was more of a stranger to the Tokyo area, but aside from Nikko, or heading into the Japan Alps, or climbing Mt. Fuji, (all of which are at least twice as far from Tokyo as the places I mentioned near Osaka), there just didn't seem to be much near Tokyo.

i did a quick check on wiki for populations since i had forgotten:
tokyo metropolis - 12,790,000 with a density of 5796 /km²
Osaka city - 2,636,257 but 19,220,000 in metropolitan area with a density of 11,869/km²

so if that density is correct than osaka is actually more dense in population than tokyo.

It depends on what is the "metro area".

I lived three or four stations west of Umeda in Amagasaki City. Amagasaki is one of the cities that lies directly (on the trains) between Osaka and Kobe.

On a local JR train there are probably 18 stops between Osaka station and the first station in Kobe (Sannomiya). It's probably a 35 minute trip on a local train, but you will pass through at least three other cities to get there. (Correct me if I am wrong), Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, Nada and there might be more. Kansai is sort of a triangle of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto being the three biggest cities, but if you ride the train between them, you really wouldn't be able to tell where one city ended and the next one began. The funny thing is when you get OFF the train and get to know each city, you find each has it's own personality very distinct from the others. For example, Amagasaki is a very industrial town, many factories and warehouses. Across the river to the west is Nishinomiya, which has a reputation as a high scale ritzier place than Amagasaki. Literally 2 minutes (and one river) apart on the train.

So Osaka metro area probably includes some of these cities, Sanda, Itami, etc...

That population density doesn't seem right to me...but a lot of Tokyo proper is businesses, not housing, so it's very possible.

there was one fact i left out, and that was area. the population density is based on the 大阪市 population and not that of the metropolitan area which mind you includes kobe and kyoto, nuts if you ask me but makes sense since as you said you can't even notice you leave one city and enter the next.

anyway Osaka city itself is:
2,636,257 people over an area of 222.11km² which gives a density of 11,869/km²

Tokyo-to which is the whole metropolitan area has to population of
12,790,000 but it is over a much larger area of 2,187.08km² giving a density of 5796 /km² (but i work it out at 5847.97/km² probably because they are using a more exact population figure rather than the rounded one)

so there we go... interesting i think anyway.

Osaka didn't feel as crowded as Tokyo did to me... the trains were usually full, but not to the point of shoving more people on. The streets were busy, but not chaotic. And I found my way around in Osaka much easier, even my first few times there. A lot of things are within walking distance of each other.

But I my only choices here are Osaka and Tokyo. Tokyo comes across as being "more busy" in comparison to Osaka which is why, for this poll, I chose Osaka.

I see.

In some ways Osaka seems more busy to me.

For example, on the "moving walks" (moving sidewalks) in some train stations and Osaka residents tend to walk on the moving walks where I noticed Tokyo residents tend to stand more.

Even though all of my family is in Tokyo I'd choose Osaka. Osaka just seems more laid back. My favorite "Stamina" Ramen is in Osaka. The train system is less confusing. Osaka is less international and I like that better. Nara is very close to Osaka and in Nara you can visit the Todaiji Buddhist Temple which is supposed to be the largest wooden structure in the world. There are also lots of reindeer running free in the park next to the temple and you can feed them rice crackers. You can also get to Kyoto easily from Osaka and see many of the old temples. There is also Kobe. Tenri city (the mecca of the Tenrikyo faith) is only about 45 minutes from Osaka. You can see the large connecting shinden (shrine) there. Iga city is also a lot closer to Osaka; you can see the ninja museum in Iga. What else... Oh Okayama prefecture is closer to Osaka and is claimed to be the birth place of the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. There are some sites there dedicated to him. If I think of anything else I'll post.

I agree with all that reasoning...especially about Todaiji.

Yeah, I really liked Todaiji. I even crawled through the hole that is in that one pillar. You know the one that the monks claimed that one would become instantly enlightened if they are able to pass through.

I chose Osaka, because Tokyo is bigger.

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:

i use Midosuji Line before for work, and ride on the first car since it is the nearest to my exit, by the time it got to my station, it was already crowded, I have to squeeze myself in , then we it reach umeda, everybody just want to get in, so during that time, train staff would push ppl inside so that the door can be closed. darn .. hehehe :D

I would like to say Osaka, because it seems so much calmer there.

Never gone to Japan yet so...lol

Tokyo. Yeah...Tokyo :cool: it's like a dream-city. Maybe it doesn't even exist. Like maybe it's my imagination...?

For those living in Osaka. Do you have any information about

Osaka University
Osaka prefecture University
St Andrews University (Momoyama Gakuin)

By information, I mean, do you know anyone that has studied there, or is currently there? And, their reputation in Japan? and finally, their location in Osaka. Osaka is a large city, so I can't seem to find out information about the exact location of these universities and what their surroundings are like. ie, facilities, shops etc

Osaka University has a good reputation ( as far as I know ), though I don't know its current standing in Japan. I've met a couple of students there when I was still joining a japanese class in Toyanaka. One was a chinese who was studying international law ( i think it was business ) between china and Japan.
The school is basically located in the Northern area of Osaka. It's a very nice area to study or live too.
:vsign:

:) Thanks for the help! According to many sites Osaka University had a similar reputation to Todai and Kyodai but I had never heard of it myself. So its a relief for you to confirm it. :D And the area is just a bonus!

Can't say anything about Tokyo, but untill now I really like Osaka (or at least, Kansai area). Mainly because it's more central than Tokyo, I can travel to Kyoto, Nara and Kobe in less then an hour. What I've heard, life is more relaxed in Osaka, people are more friendly and 'open'. Plus, I really like Kansai-ben ;P

I will probably go to Tokyo after this semester for an internship, after that I want to decide what city/area I like better and maybe stay there...

Sounds cool. So what are you currently doing there? University exchange?