the tigers versus the giants

living in Osaka suits me fine - Osaka is not normal japan or depending on how you look at it (if you're Osakan), it is the only normal part of japan. certainly - things here are just a little different.

people stand on the right hand side of escalators. now - given that driving is on the left and even walking in arcades is on the left, this seems a little odd. however, when you consider Osakans are always in a rush, it seems fair that the walking lane should remain on the left. in other words it is assumed that you would continue to walk on the escalator. in Tokyo, people use it as an energy saving device.

the accent of Osaka(ben) is a bit like scouse or glaswegian in that it's not the prettiest or easiest to understand. however, like its UK counterparts, there is a certain friendliness attached to the colloquialisms. it's perhaps feels more like a community whereas tokyo remains, arguably, a city of strangers in the same way so many modern cities tend to be. furthermore, humour is abundant. most japanese comedians hail from here. alot of people you meet make you laugh. my father-in-law is pretty typical. after a neighbour died a few months ago the mother-in-law said to him at dinner (after he had just arrived home from work) that they had to go to the dead mans house to lend support to the family (as is customary), he says - he's dead: I think he can wait another five minutes.

we have more power - infact the reason for different frequencies is because when imported in the Meiji Era, the 50 Hertz operator was imported from Germany for the Kanto area and the 60 Hertz operator was imported from America for the Kansai area. and no-one ever got around to changing it.

In Tokyo, people often like to tell you how expensive something was. Osakans though, perhaps because traditionally international merchants, are always out to find a bargain and love to tell you about it. they still like their gucci though. and vuitton. and when I say 'they' I mean everyone. this is similar to the tragic burberry epidemic that ravaged the UK at the turn of the milennium and left so many without any sense of taste.