whatchoo sayin' about my neighborhood, homeslice?

[chronovore]

Worst Place to Live in Japan: (warning: linked page is mildly NSFW)

The above is a screencap (note: not included to avoid hotlinking) from a TV program with a list entitled "statistics which show the reality of Osaka." The figures show that Osaka comes out tops (worst) out of all the cities in Japan in the following categories...

* Theft
* Car vandalism
* Murder and other violent crimes
* Number of homeless
* Death by Cancer
* Number of offices declining
* Unemployment rate (2nd worse)
* Bankruptcy rate (2nd worse)
* Number of primary schools that don't serve food
* National learning proficiency test
* Child abuse deaths

Even so, with all of that against it, it still feels a lot safer here than in the USA.

Comments

[nattotastic.livejournal.com]

Heh, we have a running gag here that whenever we hear of a murder or kidnapping or something on TV news, we guess "it happened in Kansai", and unfortunately I'd say 4 out of 5 times we're right.

Interestingly enough, I brought your list up to my wife who said "I find it hard to believe that Osaka is the worst. I bet Wakayama-ken's statistics are worse than Osaka." I think her opinion belies that Japanese tendency to consider urban areas as more regulated and safe and rural areas as wild and depressed.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

As sdemory posited, "statistics are bullshit and easily manipulated." I definitely felt less generally safe in Yokohama than I did in ANY area of Osaka. Hell, I've been through the sketchy areas in downtown Osaka, and I don't feel threatened. Sure, there's a bunch of that which deals directly with me being a Big White Foreigner, but I'm saying that even with that "advantage" I felt less safe in Yokohama and Roppongi.

[nattotastic.livejournal.com]

I'm more afraid of the foreigners in Yokohama and Roppongi than I am the Japanese. :)

I think Osaka on it's worst day is probably still way safer than San Diego. It's just funny how many times you can guess that a crime happened down in that neck of the woods and you'd be right. Without declaring the sources that the presenter of the "worst list" was using in the screencap on that blog you don't really have any way of knowing whether or not its BS or what the overall agenda is so you can essentially take it or leave it.

That said, I think it would be hard to argue that many areas of Japan aren't having some real societal problems related to the economic depressions that come from everyone moving to Tokyo.

[captainblack.livejournal.com]

Once again, the "hitman look" factor.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if they only know how a simple little jalapeño can take me out, they'd not be so frightened.