Local traditions and culture in Osaka

Spending the sunday in the park will give you an insight in many local Japanese customs and habits.

Head for Osaka-Ji Koen on sunday for a bit Osaka culture. This is the place where the youth gathers. Harajuku girls dressed in strange clothing, rock-bands, shows with little monkeys and the odd-looking Japanese performers are all present.

Special for Osaka is this dog in a red ferrari. The owner has the remote control and drives him around in the park getting a lot of attention.

The most impressive 7th Inning Stretch I have ever seen was at the Hanshin Tigers game in Osaka. Since I saw the same performance done by the visiting fans at the Tigers- Yakult Swallows game in Tokyo, I believe that this 7th Inning Stretch display is something performed at every Tigers game, home or away by their devoted fans. What made the show better in Osaka was the fact that the stadium was filled with Tigers fans wheras they made up only half the stadium in Tokyo.
As the 6th inning moves towards a close, the Tigers fans unwrap and beginn blowing up long balloons of various colors. Then, on cue from their cheerleaders, they begin chanting a song that they all seem to know. As soon as the song is over, the fans release the balloons into the air, creating a rubber fireworks festival of color. I was lucky enough to be seated next to a generous fan who provided me with one of his extra balloons so I could partake in the ceremony, too. It was quite fun!

Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan in 1590. He implements a lot of policies during his rule. Order of sword hunt, cadastral surveys and classism etc. In case of classism, he made 5 classes in the society; Bushi (samurai), farmer, craft worker, trader and low-down people. There is no classism in modern societies, but distinction against low-down people has not been eradicated from Japanese society.

It’s not easy to find such kind of distinction in Eastern Japan because most of low-down people lived in Western Japan, especially in Osaka area, home of Hideyoshi. We can easily find slogans to appeal for elimination of distinction at trains, toilets and many public spaces in Osaka. This is another face of Osaka which came from the history.

If you are interested in the history of human rights in Japan, Osaka Human Rights Museum should be worth visiting. The nearest stations are Ashiharabashi Sta. or Imamiya Sta. on JR loop line.

Walking through the Shinsaibashi and Dotombori districts you can´t help but notice how many pachinko halls there are.
And it is always busy. This picture was taken at 11:00 in the morning. The person sitting in front has already won many metal balls, which are collected in the baskets on the ground.
We didn´t understand the game, or the fun it is......