Kansai vs. Kanto

Above, the pagoda at Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It may not be apparent to foreign visitors to Japan, but there are some differences between Japanese people from the Kansai region (centered in Kyoto) and Kanto (centered in Tokyo).

Live Japan has an article on those differences and it is an interesting read.

It begins with:

Japan may be a small island nation, but each of its areas boasts a unique culture and even the climate can differ quite vastly from one region to another. Generally, however, people tend to divide Japan into two major cultural areas: Kantō in the East and Kansai in the West. Tokyo and its metropolitan area make up Kantō, the center of Japan’s politics and economics since Tokyo became the country’s capital in 1869. Its counterpart is Kansai, centered on Kyoto, the ancient city that has been the capital from 794 to 1869. Osaka, known as a major gourmet hot spot and often called the “kitchen of Japan,” is also part of Kansai. 

Of course, such a cultural divide brings its very own subtle and not-so-subtle differences in everyday life, from etiquette to language. Sometimes, you’ll see people from different corners of Japan having trouble understanding each other because of dialects! Stereotypes are another phenomenon going hand in hand with the Kantō-Kansai-divide and it’s not uncommon to hear phrases like “Yeah, that’s how people from Tokyo are” or “Oh, they’re from Kansai, that explains a lot.” But how do tourists experience these cultural differences? They can be quite fun to explore and discover if you know what to look out for! Let’s take a closer look at the quirks and customs of Kantō and Kansai!

I have noticed that people from Kansai are more outgoing and willing to interact with strangers.

To read more, go here.