Various faces of Osaka: new business centers, traditional foods, town of the poor, and hate speech; July 29-30, 2017 (off Tokyo)

I visited several places in Osaka during my 2 day stay there.

Umeda is one of the busiest places in Osaka. JR Osaka and other railway stations including Hankyu, Hanshin and the subway lines, are there. New business and commercial facilities have been built and are being developed. 

Grand Front Osaka, which opened in 2013, is one of new landmarks. The walkways connect the facilities and the railway stations.

Umeda Sky Building is a skyscraper with an observatory at 173 meters high. I visited there. Many buildings as well as undeveloped places spread under my feet. (see the top photo)

I also visited Shin-sekai, about six kilometers south from Umeda. Tsutenkaku tower stands in the center of the district. 

We can enjoy the view of Tennoji and Abeno districts. I found Tennoji zoo below me. Skyscrapers are behind the zoo. One of them is Abeno Harukas, Japan's tallest building.

It is downtown with traditional atmosphere preserved. Various restaurants and gift shops are open along narrow streets. I enjoyed kushiage (fried vegetables and meat on skewer) in one of famous (but not expensive) restaurants. (See also the second photo from the top)

There spreads the “airin” district at the south of Shin-sekai. Many poor people live there. There are hundreds of cheap inns operating there. Even those who live on the livelihood protection in Japanese welfare system can stay in the facilities as the rents are low.

Many of them moved to the area decades ago to work as day laborers. They stayed there and got old.

There are various supporting services by the public bodies. Church and private organizations are also engaged in support activities. They regularly offer people the foods. There was a long line for the foods service at the public employment office when I visited.

The story is not simple.

The waves of the changes are arriving rapidly to the area. Skyscrapers, Abeno Harukas, started to emerge in the surrounding areas.

The combination of messy street and Abeno Harukas was impressive. (See also the third photo from the top)

Foreign backpackers have started to stay in the area and some inns have introduces WiFi services. 

I found hotels inviting foreign tourists and the recipients of livelihood protection service at the same time.

I

also visited Korean towns in Tsuruhashi, eastern part of Osaka. BBQ restaurants and other Korean shops gather there. Japanese and Korean cultures mix here.

At Umeda again, I met across hate speeches performed against the foreigners living in Japan. Such move became non-negligible in the last decade in Japan. 

Some citizens have begun to stand against hate speeches and related activities. At Umeda, there were groups who oppose to the speeches. (See also the 4th photo from the top)

Osaka is sometimes described “deep.” Indeed, it is. I experienced various aspects – prosperity, development, poverty, diversity, unrest, history and cultures – in my short stay.