[Sargon of Akkad]

I'll likely be living in Ôsaka from April 2013 to March 2014, and I'd be greatful to hear tips, recommendations, and general info on gaming in that city (so-far, haven't been able to find a data-sheet).

Some specific questions...

Concerning nightlife: 1.) where can the spots be found that cater mainly to the locals? 2.) Which venues, districts are best known for being foreigner-friendly i.e. places where the local gaijin-groupies can be found?

Are there any general tips that apply to nightlife in this city that may not apply to other cities in Japan? Any clubs that I should steer clear of?

Concerning daygame: best/favourite spots to do day game or some variant of coffee shop game?

Anything else one should know specifically when coming to Ôsaka (game-related or otherwise)?

[Vacancier Permanent]

Nice! Are you going to be teaching English or taking courses? Make sure you post regular updates on how it is there as I'm really interested in Osaka too. I haven't been there so can't comment but I'm sure there are people in here that have been there. Oh and make sure you do read the epic book "yellow cabs, black passenger". It will give you a very good insight about the J culture and J girl psyche. I'm sure you'll have the time of your life. Enjoy man!

[freshcream]

I've been there once. Seemed like a very boring city, a working city. It also has the only "slum-like-area" in Japan, according to the locals I met.

I went all over Japan for a few months, so Osaka seemed bleak compared to the other cities.

But to sum up, I'm sure you'll have blast. And I am very jealous ^^. A year in Japan should be a blast.

And I am sure you will love Osaka, I just got brainwashed by my expectations.

Do you have any free time before you start whatever you are doing?

[Sargon of Akkad]

(11-06-2012 04:06 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Nice! Are you going to be teaching English or taking courses? Make sure you post regular updates on how it is there as I'm really interested in Osaka too. I haven't been there so can't comment but I'm sure there are people in here that have been there. Oh and make sure you do read the epic book "yellow cabs, black passenger". It will give you a very good insight about the J culture and J girl psyche. I'm sure you'll have the time of your life. Enjoy man!

I'll be taking courses at a university there. Afterwards, I plan to apply for a language-teaching job (most likely English, as there's a higher demand for it), though whether that will be in Ôsaka, another Japanese city, or another country in the region is still unclear.

(11-06-2012 06:41 PM)freshcream Wrote:  

I've been there once. Seemed like a very boring city, a working city. It also has the only "slum-like-area" in Japan, according to the locals I met.

I went all over Japan for a few months, so Osaka seemed bleak compared to the other cities.

But to sum up, I'm sure you'll have blast. And I am very jealous ^^. A year in Japan should be a blast.

And I am sure you will love Osaka, I just got brainwashed by my expectations.

Do you have any free time before you start whatever you are doing?

I've also been told that Ôsaka has the only real "slum"-like district in Japan. Still, I'm looking forward to it.
I've been in a(n exclusive) relationship with a Japanese girl for about half a year now, so my game will undoubtedly be rusty by the time I get there. I'm looking forward to how I do over the course of that year once I get back in the field.

Of course, I'll keep everyone updated on this thread.

[Superman]

Whynotjapan.com has parties in your area, they are gaijin groupies. Very easy to get numbers and snl.

[Laner]

Osaka is more uniquely Japanese. Its a more "blue collar" town and the attitude of the people show it. There is a reason why all the best comics in Japan come from Osaka. Even the "Osaka-ben" accent conjures up comedy for the entire country.

There are some really fun spots there. Nanba, Shinsaibashi, Amerikamura, Umeda. I think it was in Umeda where I seen perhaps the most unreal looking females I have ever seen. They were almost mannequins in their outfits, makeup, body. I have never seen anything like it in my life.

I really dig Kobe. Such a beautiful city and much more laid back than Osaka. And Kyoto is right there as well. These two places I found much easier as a foreigner as most people there are used to tourists (especially Kyoto, where I found the women relatively easy).

The gaijin parties are the best place to start. Most of those guys date down hard, but its the best place to start until you get your language skills up. Most of the women there have lived in a foreign place for a little while and are dying to get back there in any way, and that includes some hard, rough sex from you.

[Woolf]

Can somebody recommend me some clubs for each day of the week? Would be cool if I can either take the cab home or game until 5AM. I don´t speak japanese.

Some more questions:
1.) At which time does clubs have their peak time? At which time are they starting?
2.) Any good resources for outgoing advice? websites beside whynotjapan.com?
3.) Do girls speak english in the more expensive clubs?

Thanks!

[boo]

Learn Japanese.

At the very least learn: What's your name? How old are you? What do you do?
In a club you hardly need more than that.

[Sargon of Akkad]

(05-21-2013 11:59 PM)Woolf Wrote:  

Can somebody recommend me some clubs for each day of the week? Would be cool if I can either take the cab home or game until 5AM. I don´t speak japanese.

Some more questions:
1.) At which time does clubs have their peak time? At which time are they starting?
2.) Any good resources for outgoing advice? websites beside whynotjapan.com?
3.) Do girls speak english in the more expensive clubs?

Thanks!

This thread is a bit outdated. Probably better to post in this one. You might find some useful info.

As Boo mentioned, the vast majority of Japanese in any club do not speak a lick of English (despite having learned it for about eight years, it's mainly the fault of the Japanese education System. Japan is good at many things, but teaching foreign languages isn't one of them). They use lots of English loan words, but they'll pronounce them so differently from what you're used to that you likely won't understand a thing, even if they know how to say it in English. For example read the following sentence aloud: "Mosuto piiporu in Japan saondo raiku zisu uen zei torai tsu puronaonsu Ingurishi waadzu. (Most people in Japan sound like this when they try to pronounce English words)." No exageration. Hot girls are even less likely to know any English. They just don't need it in Japan. Learn as much of the language as possible before you come by for a visit.

Clubs tend to close relatively early (between 01:00 and 03:00 in the morning). Club Giraffe seems to be pretty active most nights of the week, but they close at 1:30. Most other clubs I see in Amekamura and Dôtombori seem to be dead on weekdays.

I'd say peak time is usually around midnight, but it depends where you go. Some clubs peak much earlier, some much later. The only club I've seen that was open til 5:00 was Pure (but I've been avoiding that place as of late).

As for taking a cab home, that can get pretty expensive, but it depends on how far from the action you are. A cab ride from Dotombori to Daigokuchô, for instance, cost you about 800 yen. Since I live in out in Daitô, which is in the buttfuck middle of nowhere, a cab from Dotonbori will cost me about 6500-7000 yen. Since the subway and metro stop running from about 1:00 to 5:30, if I go out, I'm usually staying until 5:30 in the morning and crash into bed at about 6:45.

If your place isn't close to the action and the girl you're with doesn't live close by (or she still lives with her parents, which is common), you can always go for the lovehotels. They cost about 2000-3000/1 h (I think).

[Woolf]

Thanks, I didn´t want to hijack your "bang osaka"-thread with lost-tourist questions. :-)