Worst Place to Live in Japan
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103)
Tue 2008/02/05 05:17
The media has been highlighting all the bad points of Osaka that they expect the new governor to fix. As you can see from the following statistics, the media is highlighting Osaka as being one of the worst places to live in Japan.
- Theft
- Car vandalism
- Murder and other violent crimes
- Number of homeless
- Death by Cancer
- Number of offices declining
- Unemployment rate (2nd worse)
- Bankruptcy rate (2nd worse)
- Number of primary schools that don't serve food
- National learning proficiency test
- Child abuse deaths
As a visitor to Osaka only once (photos here), I didn't receive any bad impressions but its difficult to understand what the social problems are from a short visit. I did notice that people drive very differently to folks in Tokyo - I've even saw the bus drivers ignore traffic lights.
Anybody here who lives/lived in Osaka can tell us what its really like?
A place that you can figure out what the social problems are from a short visit is my home town of Hackney in London - previously voted the worst place to live in the UK. The vandalism, lack of transport and people throwing stuff at you (chicken/eggs/rocks) for no reason can be experienced from a short visit.
I suppose I owe a lot to being brought up in Hackney - the terrible conditions served as just one of the reasons that kept me focused on getting out of that rut.
Do/did you live in a rough neighborhood? Are there are cities that you would call "worst" in your region based on the crime/unemployment rate and other social problems? Not being able to get hold of Gundams and figures easily could be classified as a social problem ^^;
A recent survey shows that the amount of Japanese who connect to the internet via the...(more)
Thu 01/31 04:05 comments (67)
i don't think i can ever live in japan. i like japanese things but i like more variety.
(ID #71473) Posted on 2008/02/05 04:55
Right now, I would consider inflation to be the worst. Prices keep going up, but wages do not. It now takes two incomes just to make ends meet in America, so living alone is not an option unless you are paid very well or live well below the national standard of living (no heat, for example). I guess that's more of a national problem than a localized one, though.
(ID #71474) Posted on 2008/02/05 05:11
Of those two, I guess I'd pick Tokyo, but I'm told I should try get to Aichi as it's the cheapest place to live. :P
(ID #71475) Posted on 2008/02/05 05:14
I voted neither. But of the two would rather live in Osaka than Tokyo. There just seems to be something about capital cities I dont like. Of course If someone were to offer me the chance to move to Tokyo now I'd go ^_^
(ID #71476) Posted on 2008/02/05 05:35
I liked Osaka when I visited (very, very briefly)-- we stayed in a hostel at Nagai Kouen, which was a really neat park. We really enjoyed the people who hung around...kids on field trips, guys doing bike tricks, etc. But if I was going to pick a place to live in? I'd be really tempted to live in Kanazawa, which was outright gorgeous. Not terribly convenient to Tokyo via train, but it just seemed like a really nice city.
(ID #71477) Posted on 2008/02/05 05:37
Web Developer/ウェブデベロッパー, Photographer/写真や
No option for 2D land? ^^; I do think that each city has it's own attractive and turn-offs. Probably in Singapore, the turn-offs would be fines, road taxes (Electronic Road Pricing), decrease in the train intervals and national service (For those with dolphins). The attractiveness is probably the food. I miss a good load of food back at home every time I travel overseas. Never really though where I would like to live in Japan but I guess Tokyo would be a nice place as it gives out a mysterious vibe during the evenings. Would like to try the other prefectures as well!
(ID #71478) Posted on 2008/02/05 05:43
I chose neither as well. I don't care for big cities, or little cities for that matter. I prefer the country as long as it has high speed internet ;) Japanese country is just gorgeous, its my second dream to live in Japan, provided I can learn the language. My first dream would be to live somewhere near the Mediterranean, guess thats the Italian blood speaking. To be honest though I love living in southern Oregon, granted there are no big cities, but its hard to beat the really mild climate year round.
(ID #71479) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:06
Stigmata Martyr
I'd go with Tokyo on this one if what they say here is true. Is it just me or Osaka always being made out to be the "Dirty South" or "ghetto" of Japan? Is it because Kansai-ben sounds a lot tougher than the regular Japanese? Perhaps the involvement of the Yakuza and its ties with the places entertainment industry is to blame.
(ID #71480) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:06
I would pick Tokyo out of those, I really want to move to Japan and have heard great things about Tokyo, but I haven't heard much of anything about Osaka. I would also consider Kyoto, how does that place compare to Tokyo and Osaka?
(ID #71481) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:14
ひきこもり/Hikikomori. Suits my current state more than a 大学生/University Student. ^^
@Windbell You're right, every place has its own turn offs and ons, in case of my village, the turn offs are: 1. Internet sucks - 384/64 kbps at most and very pricey. 2. No otaku-related stores 3. (For Chinese only) A little bit of racism. 4. Yearly flooding - last flood covered 80 - 90% of the town, there were human casualties and great material losses. 5. Black-outs are not infrequent. 6. Be careful if you buy foods in the traditional market, some traders sell rotten meats disguised as fresh meats by drenching the meats in fresh blood and coating the meats with formalin. While the turn ons are: 1. Everything is dirt cheap. 2. Air is still unpolluted. 3. Everything is close as the village is quite small. 4. Lots of open spaces. 5. No risk of downloading anime. The hands of odex still haven't reached this remote village. ^^ Gahahah.. More turn offs than turn ons. >_< I guess I can consider I live in a rough neighborhood then. Osaka could be much better than this place, or maybe even Hackney? ^^
(ID #71482) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:29
I wouldn't want to live in either of those cities. Tokyo is overcrowded and pricey, and from what I saw of Osaka on Anothony Bourdain: No Reservations, it's all about wasting money on food (but I haven't been so I can't say). I would like to see the giant clown and crab though. =D Between the two I would probably pick Osaka, because I'm sure it's crime rate and stuff is nothing compared to Boston, and I think Boston is fine.
(ID #71483) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:37
JR. College Student
Tokyo I guess, but I would really like to live in Sapporo.
(ID #71484) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:38
Well, I'm a big city guy, so it would have to be Tokyo over Osaka anyday. However, I've been to Tokyo and luv'd my time there, but could I see the rest of my life there the rest of my days? Probably not. Would luv to work, play, and spend my money there, but in 10 years I'd see myself somewhere else more familiar. Especially if I had children I'd raise them elsewhere.
(ID #71485) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:43
I voted neither, I would like to live in Kyoto.
(ID #71486) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:43
I would choose Tokyo. Japanese is hard to understand as it is, and Kansai-ben is harder, to me, at least. If I had to choose between Singapore and Japan, though... I'm rather torn between the two, honestly. Going to Japan would be going by myself, with no contacts or anything, while staying in Singapore would be relatively dull. So, I'm torn.
(ID #71487) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:50
Tokyo, for a while, not permanently though, since I haven't even been there before. As for Peterborough, where I'm from, I guess the only problem would be that we have nasty winter for half the year and we don't have any specialized anime/manga/figure stores (my ambition, however, is to open the first one in my town, after I make some money making video games). The only bad place to live in around here is Toronto, which gets bashed by every other city in Canada for being the worst place to live.
(ID #71488) Posted on 2008/02/05 06:50
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
Danny, you write the darnest things :P (esp the last paragraph)
(ID #71489) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:02
student
I used to live in the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. The neighborhood SUCKS! For being a minority (Chinese)... I get bullied and picked on at my middle school where the student body is near 100% hispanics. I can walk down the block and there would be kids from their apartment window throwing stuff at me (water balloons, rocks, random objects). Petty shoplifting galore. vandalism galore. apartments are full of roaches and almost run-down and smelly. bleh... The only nice thing is that it's NYC and it's great to take the subway to Chinatown and Manhattan for some good city time and that's it. Now I live in Oregon... almost polar opposites...
(ID #71490) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:06
even if osaka is rated last, i'm sure its still much much much safer than some of the other cities around the world. i mean japan has one of the lowest crime and homicide rates in the world if you compare it to cities like toronto or new york. if given the choice, i would choose to stay in tokyo because a) i can get lots of gunpla down at akiba b) more gaijins around i assume c) more gunpla and figures. i'm sure osaka has its own charms, and i would also love to visit kyoto and okinawa one of these days. it just seems to be obligatory to visit those places as they're always mentioned in animes.
(ID #71491) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:18
To be honest i wouldn't care were i live in Japan as long as i can get there someday (danny has proven you can live your dream if you try hard enough), anywhere in Japan is better than were i currently live.
(ID #71493) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:29
Osaka all the way. I'd mostly want to live in either Osaka or somewhere in Hokkaido. Also seriously what I plan for my future. Not that I wouldn't live anywhere else in Japan if I don't have a choice... I can see profession forcing me to have to live in Tokyo just because of the convenience. However I'm not too fond of that idea...
(ID #71495) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:29
Wait... So they expect him to fix Cancer? Wat? I'm always amazed at some of the weird things that citizens brings up as problems...
(ID #71496) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:31
Polygon Pusher
Lived in Osaka for a year (like 6 years ago) and apart from a begrudged man stabbing kids at a school I didn't find much not to like about it. I totally prefer Osaka to Tokyo probably because of that "lived there" bias. I'm probably just optimistic that the place hasn't fallen to crap in such a short time. Still, I can't say I've lived in really dangerous places in the past, but Osaka was never a gigantic concern for me compared to where I've lived before.
(ID #71497) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:35
Receptionist/ Accountant/ Junior Designer
Hmm, hearing that.. I'm a little put off. I've always admired eastern culture, so anywhere eastern would do, normally at least. In my country, it's not as safe(not to forget the lack of proper Otaku merchandise) and I wouldn't want to go overseas to live in that same type of environment. The Kansai-ben has always intrigued me too.. Oh well, guess I can live in another area of Japan XD
(ID #71498) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:38
Stigmata Martyr
@npc Though I hate winter weather Sapporo is one of the places I'd like to live in Japan as well.
(ID #71499) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:40
Quite sad and frightening to hear... I'd choose Tokyo in a heartbeat, but I'd instantly be stopped in my tracks because I know almost no Japanese (except for some colloquial words and other terms I learned from anime ^^).
(ID #71501) Posted on 2008/02/05 07:57
I currently live in Birmingham U.K and i must say i've never been in a more hostile place..... No body looks at each other, no body smiles and if you try and make conversation people run off thinking your gonna mug them. I have visited most major cities in the UK and Birmingham is in my opinion one of the worst :S. I'm moving out of here the first chance i get!
(ID #71502) Posted on 2008/02/05 08:35
University Student.
I enjoyed the environment when I was in Hokkaido, very slow pace and peaceful. However if I would choose a place to live in, it still got to be Tokyo for its convenience, and because Akiba is there! But if I were to retire, I'll definitely go back to Hokkaido, maybe Hakodate or Sapporo.
(ID #71503) Posted on 2008/02/05 08:50
Software Engineer
Looks like McDonalds is the same all over Japan then!
(ID #71505) Posted on 2008/02/05 09:05
I'd like to move to New Zealand. I've heard and read NZ has the most transparent government.
(ID #71506) Posted on 2008/02/05 09:08
Online Shop
When I first came to America, I lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, now popular for the devastation from hurricane Catrina. That place pretty bad place to live and dangerous as well. I've been to Osaka few times but did feel that the place was all that bad. I've only stayed for few weeks so I can't say much but I guess maybe there are some sides of the city that I missed.
(ID #71507) Posted on 2008/02/05 09:10
Student
In every country there are always rough places to live mostly due to social problems, since where I live is pretty calm and peaceful I recommend it to anyone although there aren't many things here so you have to pick your car or the bus and go to the neighboring cities.
(ID #71508) Posted on 2008/02/05 09:31
Student
I used to live in a pretty rough place before I got to high school. Most of the people who lived in my neighborhood were friendly to me, but I never participated in their afterschool "activities," like smoking, drugs, fighting etc. It's considered one of the "ghettos" in my city.
(ID #71509) Posted on 2008/02/05 09:50
Test Engineer
Im OK in my current city. If only Kuala Lumpur can be as clean as our neighbor Singapore ;__;
(ID #71510) Posted on 2008/02/05 10:23
System Administrator
i definately see myself living in japan within the next 3-4 years. there are still some precautions to be done. and even though this thought maybe a bit naive since i haven't even visited japan so far, i don't think that'll change. the grass on the other side is always greener, no? :P
having read danny's article about living in japan ('specially tokyo) i don't think i'll see myself living IN one of those cities, since the rent would cost me all my income(based on my current income). think it will be someplace nearby my workplace.
then again, it's a long way until then, which is sad :/
(ID #71511) Posted on 2008/02/05 10:42
Part human, part student, 100% loser
The crime rate here isn't that high I think... Just becareful when walking in alleyways in Geylang LOL~
(ID #71512) Posted on 2008/02/05 10:43
Oh, come on! It may look a little depraved in the south (I got lost, strolled away from Tennoji in the wrong direction and saw rather run-down houses with children playing with chickens on the street), but worst for child abuse deaths? Did Osaka get both of them this year or something? The only downside to this place is that the JR lines here don't have the catchy melodies that they do in Tokyo. And to the guy who's in Birmingham has obviously never been to Liverpool or Manchester, where in some places the police are too scared to go out onto the streets. Admittedly, they really should get someone to clean the buses in Birmingham, though!
(ID #71513) Posted on 2008/02/05 10:43
VF-25 Pilot. Universariate Scholar.
The place i live in is crime central as far as i am concerned. My grandma(who lives near my house) had her house broken into along with four of the nearby houses in the space of a month!!
(ID #71514) Posted on 2008/02/05 10:44
.NET/Web Developer
I'd pick Tokyo since that's where msot events seems to be happening. ^^
(ID #71515) Posted on 2008/02/05 11:03
I didn't know Takakazu Abe is Glico's mascot?
(ID #71516) Posted on 2008/02/05 11:27
Service desk support
I was originally from Newport in South Wales, One of the worst places in Europe!! (yes, it was statistically shown). Luckily, I was raised in one of the better parts, but I still had a very strong desire to get out when I could. I left to go to university in London, and I'm still there now. As for Osaka, I went in '98 for 3 weeks as part of a school exchange and I didn't see any signs of problems during my time there. No obvious problems like you can see in some of the rougher areas of the UK. But I may have been moved to look away from such trouble spots...
(ID #71517) Posted on 2008/02/05 11:50
Tokyo sounds sexy just say it
(ID #71518) Posted on 2008/02/05 11:51
Aimless Traveler
I'm lucky to live in one of the safest housing estate round' here. My area is largely populated by middle to high income folks, so there are plenty of nice looking houses around. Best of all, there are no illegal settlements erected by immigrants who tend to contribute to social problems. In terms of crime, it's somewhere between zero to one cases of break-ins every year. Another plus is the proximity to commercial/business area: 10 minutes of walking will get you to a supermarket, a couple of bakeries, a bunch of nice restaurants, and Coffee Bean.
(ID #71520) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:06
i've been to osaka last year. i do agree with u that they drive differently. they just ignore the traffic lights if there is no car. its weird. but there's a lot of attractions there. maybe its becoz of the old rivalry between tokyo and osaka(one hears) that the tokyo media bash them a lot. :P
(ID #71521) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:18
radical anime fan in Singapore; starting to freeze up. Mmm, end-of-year weather. (Registered on 2007/01/25 21:20)
Polytechnic Freshman. Mmm... fresh.
well, another reason to give the gods offering that i was born in singapore. but really, when it comes to traffic-related incidents, it's not much different from osaka, with last year having a series of nasty road rage incidents. road rage in singapore... and all for pressing your car horn at the slowpoke in front. the way i've seen some of my fellow countrymen drive scares and sickens me quite a bit.
(ID #71522) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:30
How the hell did you not move out of Hackney earlier Danny? Any other place in London would have been just fine. Although Hackney has improved a lot apparently. I live in Chiswick, clean friendly place~ I would LOVE to move somewhere near Camden Lock though.
(ID #71523) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:33
Having gone to malaysia, hong kong and china, then off to osaka and tokyo in the last month, i can say without thinking too much about it, that japan easily had the best living standards. other than random people spitting on the floor in tokyo. nothing else seemed to phase me. i didnt even feel intimidated when i went to a concert and i was one of the few that looked underdressed. ie. pants did not sit under my butt and thighs. and out of the two places, id choose osaka, just because it was easy to get around and how laid back it was compared to tokyo. 5 star megastore was awesome too.
(ID #71524) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:47
I think my town belongs to the bad places in Germany. It's rather calm in the part I live in (But it gets worse every day) but be prepared to get attacked or at least insulted when you go to the city in the evening. The crime rate is pretty high and the police is scared to go to different places so they rather scare away the poor homeless... The first thing I'm going to do when I finish school is getting out of here. I hope my 6 months in New Zealand will be confirmed.
(ID #71526) Posted on 2008/02/05 12:53
As a traveller, Osaka is safe place. However, Osaka has lots of social problems. First of all, The municipal financial status is so bad/critical. If a new elected governor/Mr. Hashimoto is a man of ability. He won't be able to change the current situation easily. For in-depth information seekers, I can recommend "Osaka Minkoku". It's the best site for those who like to know the seasons. http://www.osaka-minkoku.info/ I don't think the site design is so good(^^;, But the site has los of dark side of Osaka.... P.S. Its English version "Oh!! Sucker! Shit!!" is also available. However, The English contens are only limited. http://www.osaka-minkoku.info/en/index.htm
(ID #71528) Posted on 2008/02/05 13:22
Webdesigner - Freelance
For Japaneses, maybe Osaka is one of the badest cities, but for me, it's Disney Land ! I think they don't know what it is to live in a town with social problem and criminality. ^_^ I was in Osaka during 2 weeks, and i don't understand how you can feel fear over there.
(ID #71529) Posted on 2008/02/05 13:41
The worst in that city in osaka is the financial and the problem in every city.If the new goverment tries to resolve this problem, it will get a better city to live and stop those violence that could even destroy or to endangered the citizens...One wish,Good luck to this new governor..
(ID #71530) Posted on 2008/02/05 13:47
Osaka is a good place to live compared to where I'm living right now... High crimes rate, lots of robbery and murders, high unemployment rates, inefficient health system, incompetent police/security system, obscenely corrupt government... I'll be frank and brief: I live in one of the worst cities in Latin America. However, I'm lucky that I live in a relatively safe zone =P Unfortunately, I've already experimented being robbed =(
(ID #71531) Posted on 2008/02/05 13:51
Ha, Japan makes me laugh. Where I live public education (primary/secondary) is one of the worst in the country, crime is all over the place, and you always have to be careful. Since I live on Georgia Tech campus, they try to keep things relatively safe, but people still get mugged/dead bodies are found in cars randomly. People are afraid to go too far off campus after dark unless they're in a large group, and by that I mean at least 6 or 7 people. I mean, they may think Osaka is badly off, but they have no idea.
(ID #71532) Posted on 2008/02/05 14:10
Otaku
I rather be living in Okinawa in a sunny and quite beach. The rest of Japan just for tourism, never to live there.
(ID #71533) Posted on 2008/02/05 15:16
Web Design & Development
I want to walk out my front door into the middle of Akihabara. I guess I'll have to earn myself millions upon millions of dollars so I can one day afford such delusions.
(ID #71535) Posted on 2008/02/05 16:36
Red (Registered on 2007/09/14 02:47)
I live in Nebraska on the border between the cities of Papillion and Bellevue. Our home address is Bellevue but our services, utilities and school district are from Papillion. I believe a magazine (can't remember who) named Papillion 6th in best places to live in the United States. Most crime happens in Northern Omaha where its all lower class housing. Papillion's main crime problem is meth labs and marijuana growers; thats about it.
(ID #71536) Posted on 2008/02/05 16:40
Red (Registered on 2007/09/14 02:47)
The one exception was the whole Van Maur shootings a couple months back. The shooter Robert Hawkins actually stayed across the highway from my house with the family that took him in.
(ID #71537) Posted on 2008/02/05 16:43
