I am moving to Osaka to attend a language school this October. The two apartments the real estate agent sent me are in Honmachi and DenDen Town.
The school is in Shinsaibashi, next to Parco, and it looks like a 15 and 30 minute walk from the apartments, respectively.
Honmachi: Closer to Shinsaibashi/Nagahoribashi. I have loved Shinsaibashi the last 3 times I have visited, and there is a bar there that I would like to frequent. I dig the vibe of the streets there, seems more quiet.
Denden Town: I hear Namba has a lot of entertainment. I would need to go through Dotonbori to get to school. I like anime stuff, but my weebness tends to simmer down once I’m actually in Japan because there’s so much more going on, so it’s not really something I would want to prioritize. I am more interested in meeting people and the local music scene.
Any one have more insight into the local area? Like I said, I’m interested in being near the local music scene or any entertainment industry. Thank you in advance for any advice.
by DystopiaLite
13 comments
Honmachi. I like the atmosphere better for the same reasons you explained. Less tourists and calmer. Even closer to Umeda which had more local entertainment.
I would go for Honmachi if it was me – closer to the river for walks, nicer/newer area (although I lived in Daikokucho and even that was fine), closer for you. From Den Den Town you don’t have to go through Dotonbori though – go straight up Sakai Suji and then over
Go for Port Town if you want a quite place to stay. Nanko Higashi is also a nice option as Suminoekoen is just on the nearby station if you want to go to Namba or Dotonburi
I’ve lived adjacent to Den Den town, I loved it, made quite a few friendships with the locals.
Whichever you choose you are a short distance away from Shiinsaibashi.
Honmachi by a country mile.
Osaka has a bit of a linear grading scale starting from North to South. The more North you are the better it is, the more south you are the worse it is. Many use Honmachi as the cut off between good, clean Osaka and bad, dirty Osaka.
This is completely subjective and more of a stereotype than a fixed rule.
North Osaka’s development has been outpacing south Osaka a lot, I want to stay it started around the time of opening of the original Tokaido Shinkansen.
Honmachi. I used to live in the area near Ota road and go the a school near Yotsubashi (maybe it’s the same school haha). The walk from Nankai Namba to Shinsaibashi is always full of people.
Hommachi, I live close by and I feel everything is really close walking or by train.
Denden if you enjoy hookers and nerds!
It’s definitely Honmachi.
Assuming the conditions of the two rooms are exactly the same, the rent will vary significantly. This difference reflects the value people place on the area.
The regions in Osaka are easy to understand, so find Honmachi Station on the map. The further you go east or west from Honmachi Station, the worse the area becomes. The area north of Honmachi Station is considered good, while the area to the south is considered less desirable.
This is a general statement (based on real estate prices), and the perception of good or bad areas can vary depending on individual values.
Honmachi is next to a big cluster of offices. The streets and the train I am in right now are FULL of salary men and OLs.
Dendentown will be FULL of tourists.
Choose your poison !
How do you feel about rats?
Hommachi for sure
Park (utsubo)
More green
Less litter
Less commotion
Fewer tourists
More grown-up than denden town and doesn’t have all of the lights and noises
Hommachi is located between shopping/nightlife/entertainment areas. Umeda on one side and Shinsaibashi/Namba on the other side. Neither is 5 minute walk from Homachi but they are close enough that you could walk home from either district to save money on transportation or a cab.
Denden town would be better for Kansai airport access though.
If you choose denden town try to get a place a touch further from the center. This way you may be able to avoid at least some of the craziness.
Honmachi. Period.