It’s a beautiful city. I especially loved all the museums and the Osaka Castle. The night scene is standard Japanese. It is quite interesting, but those who aren’t used to that sort of thing (bar-girls pulling at you to their bars or whatnot, or if you are a lady, bar-boys pulling at you to etc…) might take offense. Just like any Asian city the way they look at foreigners might not be so kind, but then I’ve run across plenty of people willing to go out of their way to help me, it’s life I guess.

An old man for some reason approached me and exlained to me the history of the Osaka castle, and I’ve never thought the place had such a rich background. Of course, he was talking in Japanese and I in English, but we basically understood each other, strangely enough. Even if you don’t speak a word of Japanese the places are international and helpful enough to get by without problem.

Oh, and the city is so clean! Years of living in New York city made me insensitive to what a infestated mess cities can be, but those Japanese cities certainly put my home to shame, at least in terms of cleanliness! (and Osaka’s not even a clean city by Japanese standards!)

One of the more culturally interesting sight was Osaka’s rush hour. People everywhere, and everyone, men, women, and children (but not the old folks :)) dressed in semi-identical black suits. Even during the night time it’s not hard to see dozens after dozens of ladies wearing the same thing that happen to be the fashion of the times. Well, at least most of them are dressed nicely.

If I have one complaint, it would be about the eateries in the city. While there are quite a few decent places in the city, try to avoid tourist attractions and surrounding restaurants. They are usually overpriced and generally not worth it. Be prepared to spend a fortune if you plan on dining out everynight. Though even corner convenience stores sell sushies in Osaka, for incredibly cheap price. (and don’t worry. They are safe. Just not as good as masterful hand-made sushies that cost a fortune!)