This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Is osaka really better than Tokyo in terms of friendliness?**
I really don’t wanna experience any racism or discrimination because I plan on moving to Japan permanently
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If you aren’t Japanese then I believe the discrimination is inevitable. You’ll likely experience quite a bit when trying to find a place to live.
…if your tolerance for racism and discrimination is zero, you should not come to Japan (unless you are already a Japanese person who lives in Japan… in which case you would be here already). And I’m saying that as someone who has had overall very positive experiences here. Finding housing is probably the biggest example of discrimination as most landlords will refuse to rent to foreigners outright.
Regarding discrimination, I’m not familiar with a major distinction between Tokyo and Osaka. However, discrimination and racism are a pretty separate thing from friendliness. Someone can be very friendly while ushering you out of their business; they can be very friendly while turning you down to hang out.
So, are you more concerned about discrimination or friendliness?
Besides, it depends on what you look like. Are you white? Black? Middle Eastern? Southeast Asian? Tall? Short? Blonde? Hairy? That’s going to greatly affect what you experience in Japan. Unless you can pass for Japanese, and even then unless you can pass for native, you’re going to get some discrimination. But the flavor of that discrimination will vary. So, unsavory as it may be, people would probably need to know a bit more about you before they could really tell you what to expect regarding discrimination.
Regardless, I think that Tokyo gets a bad wrap about its friendliness levels, the same way New York City does. It’s not that Tokyo isn’t friendly, it’s just friendly in a different way. I say this as someone who really loves Osaka.
That said, it’s probably not a bad idea to pick a city to start in based on getting a good job, and then go spend some time in the other city and see what you like best for yourself.
4 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Is osaka really better than Tokyo in terms of friendliness?**
I really don’t wanna experience any racism or discrimination because I plan on moving to Japan permanently
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you aren’t Japanese then I believe the discrimination is inevitable. You’ll likely experience quite a bit when trying to find a place to live.
…if your tolerance for racism and discrimination is zero, you should not come to Japan (unless you are already a Japanese person who lives in Japan… in which case you would be here already). And I’m saying that as someone who has had overall very positive experiences here. Finding housing is probably the biggest example of discrimination as most landlords will refuse to rent to foreigners outright.
Regarding discrimination, I’m not familiar with a major distinction between Tokyo and Osaka. However, discrimination and racism are a pretty separate thing from friendliness. Someone can be very friendly while ushering you out of their business; they can be very friendly while turning you down to hang out.
So, are you more concerned about discrimination or friendliness?
Besides, it depends on what you look like. Are you white? Black? Middle Eastern? Southeast Asian? Tall? Short? Blonde? Hairy? That’s going to greatly affect what you experience in Japan. Unless you can pass for Japanese, and even then unless you can pass for native, you’re going to get some discrimination. But the flavor of that discrimination will vary. So, unsavory as it may be, people would probably need to know a bit more about you before they could really tell you what to expect regarding discrimination.
Regardless, I think that Tokyo gets a bad wrap about its friendliness levels, the same way New York City does. It’s not that Tokyo isn’t friendly, it’s just friendly in a different way. I say this as someone who really loves Osaka.
That said, it’s probably not a bad idea to pick a city to start in based on getting a good job, and then go spend some time in the other city and see what you like best for yourself.