As a lover of cyberpunk, retro wave and Blade Runner, Osaka is effectively my holy city. "What about Tokyo’s Shibuya and Shinjuku districts?” you might ask, to which I’d reply, Osaka has the grimy, seedy undertones that Tokyo has done a good job to wash away.
Kabukicho is a glorified tourist destination these days, full of swanky hotels and sanitised streets. Osaka in comparison, looks like nobody could be bothered to crack out a broomstick.
The people are way more laid back and crass, the city is referred to as “Japan’s kitchen” and it’s got a vibrant and dynamic nightlife that tramples all over Tokyo.
I’ve visited Osaka about 10 times over the years and every single time without fail, local strangers will strike up a conversation with me in a way that seems incomprehensible in the northern region of Tohoku where I live, or indeed Tokyo, where people are too busy running around looking at their phones to stop and care about spontaneous socialisation.
Part of me feels like I should’ve moved to Osaka. Hell, I often still do. But deep down I know that if I did, I’d probably be dead by now; my stomach bursting at the seams with Takoyaki fried octopus balls and my blood substituted with 100% alcoholic beverage.
Somehow I’ve only ever made one video in Osaka, but I was delighted with everything we packed into it - and by we, I mean myself and my faithful companion Pete Donaldson (of Abroad in Japan Podcast fame).
A retro video games bar, Osaka style Okonomiyaki pancakes, drinking with hilarious locals in the street, karaoke, takoyaki and even a Blade Runner-esque montage that I’d always wanted to produce. It was one of my all time favourite city escapes.
To go to Osaka and not tick off every single experience on the aforementioned list would simply be a crime.
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