When talking about Japanese culture, many people would usually think that its just one and the same. However, they are actually quite different and it extends beyond just a regional standpoint. Sometimes, getting into a public bath is different in Osaka than getting one in Tokyo, or vice versa, and one new book is exploring these differences.
The Kanto region is made up of Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Kanagawa, while Kansai is made up of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Wakayama, Hyougo, and Shiga. Culturally, there are minute differences, like the dialects, as the Kansai dialect is a bit different from the language we usually hear in anime or J-dramas which are mostly set in Tokyo. Another difference is standing in an escalator, as people usually stand in the left in the Kansai region, while people stand in the right for the Kanto region.
For the images, the ones on the left are from the Kanto region, while the ones on the right are for the Kansai region:
Taxis
Leek slices
How a warm sweet red bean paste dessert known as zensai is served
Traditional pottery
inarizushi
Oden hot pot meals
Zabuton cushions
The book is now available via Amazon Japan, and it is titled “Kuraberu Touzai”, which means “East and West Compared”. The book has also sparked a comparison on twitter, such as this one comparing the two regions’ own versions of the cold noodle dish known as Hiyashi Chuka.
僕も東西を比べてみました pic.twitter.com/7adZ6hAhII
— 26,790 (@sea_haya) June 13, 2016
Source: Rocket News 24
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