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

[captainblack.livejournal.com]

This negative stereotype is mostly because y'all dress in striped 70's track suits and talk in Kansai-ben.

[sdemory.livejournal.com]

Part of it's probably the fact that you live in it, and you haven't been rolled, kiled or laid off. You feel safe because you've been safe... other than your nephew getting rolled, things have been pretty mellow.

We must also acknowledge the fact that statistics are bullshit and easily manipulated. There's a wealthy county in Kansas that has no STDs. None. Never reported one to the Kansas board of health... because they don't have an STD clinic and send people with STDs to the WT county to the east. Not saying that Osaka's particularly ghetto (although I do recall hearing a reference to "All my niggaz in the Sock, bangin' and slangin'" in a song a while back), but your municipality may not be cooing the books as much as some.

[josienutter.livejournal.com]

Trying to compare Osaka to Oakland is pretty... yeah. :)

[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.

[nattotastic.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, just looking at the image, it looks like Osaka actually ranks #2 worst for the National Learning Proficiency Test. Not #1. See, something to smile about!