There are famous places in Osaka, such as Abeno Harukas and Tsutenkaku, but what kind of people live there? This time, I would like to introduce you to the characteristics of Osakans.
They are easy-going and love comedies
Yoshimoto Kogyo, a talent agency that produces many comedians, has its head office in Osaka. Originally, Osaka has long been a hub of Japanese comedy culture because of its historical background, and manzai stand-up comedy culture is deep in its roots. With that perspective, I delved into the characteristics of Osakans.
They can improvise manzai
In Osaka, there are more opportunities for people to see manzai than in other prefectures, and sometimes some comedy lovers improvise manzai. The quality of some of these are very high and some people perform at year-end parties.
If you point the index finger at them and say “Bang!”…
If you point your index finger at Osakans and say “Bang!”, many of them would pretend like they are shot for you. However, on the other hand, some of them just do it because they see TV cameras and they want to be helpful. In other words, whether Osakans actually react to the action or not depends on the person and the circumstance.
Lifestyle in Osaka is different from Tokyo!?
Not many Osakans are aware that their lifestyle is different from Tokyo. Let me introduce a few of the differences to you.
Where they stand on the escalator
When people take escalators, people stand on the left in Tokyo and on the right in Osaka.
There are various theories as to why people stand on the right in Osaka, but one of the factors is that they used to make announcements to the customers as “Ladies and gentlemen, please keep the left lane open so that other people may pass.” at Hankyu Umeda station. That has taken root to date.
Every family has one Takoyaki machine
Osaka is famous for takoyaki.
Not only do they go out to eat takoyaki, a lot of families in Osaka have at least one takoyaki machine at home. Osakans love takoyaki so much that, if rice is the most commonly eaten food, takoyaki would be the second place. There are even people who eat takoyaki as a snack.
Other characteristics of Osakans
In addition to comedy and lifestyle, I will introduce other characteristics of Osakans.
They tend to say what they think straight
Japanese people in general are considered not to say things directly, but that is not the case in Osaka.
For example, sometimes they say things to themselves like “I want money. What should I do?” being honest about their feelings. Also, Osakans tend to clearly tell “funny” or “not funny”, partly due to the influence of manzai culture. Comedians in Osaka listen to the “voice” and work hard on improving their skills.
They like to stand out
Because they can express their opinions well, Osakans sometimes become leaders of the group before they know it. Though Osakans can be attention seekers, it is true that these types of people play a role as leaders.
Summing up Osakans, they are like this
Osakans tend to say things directly, and they have a server’s mindset. Also, they love Osaka culture so much that it is hard to find people who don’t like manzai and takoyaki. Sometimes they have a rivalry with Tokyo, but they don’t mean anything bad by it, so if you know how to interact with them, you can build good relationships with them.
