Battle of the Cities: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka

So I've been in Japan for almost a year now and I've been lucky enough to visit (arguably) the three most popular cities that this country has to offer. And they are (dramatic and unnecessary drum roll please)…. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.  With Tokyo being the capital, Kyoto the old capital and Osaka being the biggest city, second only to the aforementioned current capital. The former is in the Kanto and the latter two the Kansai region. So these are the so called crème de la crème of Japanese cities but there's often a debate as to which one trumps the others, something that I hadn't really dwelled on until I came across a bar with a sign reading “F*** Tokyo, I love Osaka” sparking my random interest to write this post! 

Tokyo Skytree

Let's start with the obviously most well known city of the three, the iconic capital, Tokyo. Most people who think of Japan think only of Tokyo, resulting not only in a warped view of what Japan is actually like but also slightly diminishing the interest in the other cities. Hence why you'll spot faaaar more foreigners there than in the others, but then I guess you could say the same about London and other UK cities. Tokyo offers plenty of things to do, during both the day and evening, so whether you want to go to the zoo, museums, shrines, shopping, arcades etc.. you name it you can probably do it there. In fact the city offers so much to do that it's hard to decide how to spend your time, especially if you're not there for particularly long. 

Ginza

The appearance of the city itself is as one would expect, big, modern and very clean cut, with landmarks such as the Skytree and popular shopping districts like Ginza. Though the city thrives on modernity you do have more traditional areas like Asakusa and there are still shrines and temples to visit however the frequency of these is far less than the other two cities. 

Whilst the city does have lots to offer for tourists the overall vibe and atmosphere rings as quite conservative. After spending time in Osaka and experiencing the bright hair colours, crazy platform heels and unique styles I expected to see 10 times more in the capital (however I have heard this can be found in places like Harajuku). What I did see was actually the opposite and mirrored the atmosphere, with pretty much everyone dressed in business attire and wearing the typical salaryman stone cold look of “here's to another 15 hours of my life wasted at work”. The atmosphere and dress are not alone in this the attitudes of the people seemed more serious and reserved, with people keeping to themselves even more so than in the Kansai region. 

Moving on to the next of the three, the old capital, hailed as the city of tradition, Kyoto. Kyoto is another popular, well known city and offers a different experience to the modern Tokyo. This city also offers lots to do, but gives more of an insight into the history of Japan, with popular activists like taking part in tea ceremonies, seeing Geisha, seeing Kabuki shows and of course visiting the many many temples and shrines that infiltrate the city. There's also the opportunity to buy lots of traditional souvenirs, some of which you can get in Tokyo but at a higher price. 

Gion

The city appearance is an endearing mix of tradition, history and  modernity. The  latter in the mix is something people often don't expect, seeing as it's renowned for being traditional, but in modern society I don't see how a major city wouldn't have some modernity to it!

Kiyomizu-dera 

As you would expect the atmosphere here is more relaxed and calm . There are still many tourists, but the local people are less conservative and seem more open. The sense of dress is also less conservative and you  will also see more people wearing traditional kimonos and in tourist areas be able to see the rickshaw runners. So if you're looking to experience some true tradition this is the place to visit.

Now on to the final of the three, the second largest city, neighbour to Kyoto, and “rival” of Tokyo, Osaka. Osaka is often known as the “messy” city, edgy and a little rough around the surfaces, but overall fun. Out of the three cities this is the one I have most experience with, having visited on countless occasions. This city has fewer tourists (though still has plenty) and thus has less daytime activities than the former two, there is however a pretty good night-life in Osaka with plenty of bars/restaurants/clubs to go to. 

Dotonbori

The city appearance is more colourful than the other two, it's not as clean cut as Tokyo and not as traditional as Kyoto but it certainly has history and character. Like I stated earlier it is a little rougher but this is actually a positive as it serves as more interesting than your standard pristine skyscrapers. It is also not as busy (but still very busy lol) as the others so there's the opportunity to explore and find some of the hidden gems that the city has to offer.

View of the city from Osaka Castle

There is a much more carefree attitude to life in Osaka and the overall vibe is to have fun. Like I mentioned earlier I have seen some quirky fashion trends (hello ギャル- Gyaru), plenty of bright hair/make up and of course it wouldn't be a Kansai city without the ever present ヤンキー(Yankii- dyed blonde/orange hair, timberlands, baggy jeans required, unnecessary sunglasses and bucket hats optional!) So the sense is you can pretty much express yourself how you want in the relaxed setting of Osaka, no matter how crazy it may look/seem. And with that comes a seemingly friendlier, funnier set of people!

So after a brief outlook on these three bad boys of cities, it's now time to decide which one trumps the others. My personal verdict is Osaka, it's fun, lively, has history, character and modernity, but also isn't too touristy. Tbh though all three cities are spectacular places that if you come to/are in Japan you should definitely visit, plus I'm also a little biased considering I've visited Osaka far more times than the others and will also soon be moving there! And let's not also forget that there are many other cities/places in Japan that are also worth visiting (Nara, Kobe, Sapporo, Nagoya etc.)all with something different to offer,  these three are just the most well known ones!