Thread: Japan???

My novel is set in Osaka. Yeah, I`ve never been in Japan. I really should go. When my novel sells. Which is going to be in some time.
It would be sweet if anyone who went there or lives there could tell a bit about it! Ive kind of realized, after reading a draft over, that Im basing it on big cities Ive been to that are probably not like Osaka at all.

Whats it like? What are people like? Is the city as trendy as Tokyo? How are the noodles/telivision? Anything really would help, because Ive been looking up statistics and somehow I dont think thats enough.

Ever watch CHUD? Osaka is a lot like that movie, except all the sewers are above ground.

Seriously, though, I don't think it would be very possible to accurately set a story in a place as strange and contradicting as Japan, without having been there.

I posted a while back, last Thursday I just returned from a short trip to Kansai, mostly Kobe, Nara, and Kyoto, but, I did go to Osaka last Tuesday/Wednesday.

I didn't spend much time there really, preferring to spend the duration of my stay in Kyoto. Much like any big city, it can be different all over, so it'd be nice to find a better source than someone who passed through for a couple days. I stayed on Dobutsuen-mae, which is in a rather crappy part of town. In fact, most of my experience in Osaka was crap, although I loved Japan. It was about 15 minutes walk from the station, I know this as I was carrying a heavy bag and the cab driver refused to take me there as he would have to double over in a circle and it wouldn't be cost effective for him (I think, I could barely understand him). At any rate, from there I was staying in a traditional style room, it felt small like a prison cell, and the windows even had wire on them, looking down there was a bunch of trash, not really the best view. I left there and went to the big wheel and got a nice view of the better parts of Osaka, and after that to Osaka Dome. From there I ventured back to my room at night, the subway wasn't so busy surprisngly. The next morning I just wanted to walk down to the Lawson Station, what I saw in daylight was kinda scary. There were homeless people, I saw someone with a black eye and another guy with a bunch of cuts on his face. Some crazy old man started to talk to me (big deal, every city has that) but he came up and put his hand on my shoulder and got in my face. It kinda freaked me out, I didn't want him to rob the 10,000en note I was gonna break so I could afford to take the train to the airport. Down the street were some other seedy guys selling porn on VHS, and there was the 100en store and a lot of casual/work clothes. If I go back to Osaka I certainly won't stay there again, it was the only time I saw police around too. Probably not much help, if you want to know more about the feel of Japanese cities or the people or see about a billion pictures of Kobe early in the morning, lemme know and I'll try to be of more help

i agree with the poster who indicated it wouldn't be a good idea to set a story in a real place you know nothing about... especially one as 'foreign' to westerners as japan... not only will you not be able to write believably about the city, but you won't be able to give a realistic touch to the japanese characters...

i strongly suggest you change the setting of your story to a place you know personally, if you want it to work and have any chance of being published... i doubt even the most seriously undertaken research will give you the ability to pull it off successfully, as is...

if you stick with japan, imo the only thing that could work is to enlist the help of someone who's from there or lived there a significant length of time, to provide you with all the details you'll need, as you write, and check your already completed work for authenticity...

A good website to check for information on Japan is www.outpostnine.com

Even people that live there for considerable amounts of time still have a weird feeling, and Japanese (I think) have a problem conveying to foreigners what life is like, imagine explaining your hometown to someone else, thinks you take for granted you'd omit or not pay attention to and they'd get lost in the details.


If you set it in the future you can do what you want though

That`s what I did; i set it in the future. It`s the sissy way out. But I do watch a lot of anime and Ive been crazy about Japan since I was what, 10? I have this DVD with a tour of Tokyo on it. Except for the pagodas and Sensoji Temple, it could have been New York or boston. The thing is, I want Osaka flavor anyway. Ill ask some Japanese my relatives know.
But a book isnt like a tour. You need to live there. Thanks a lot, Dzarva, though; youve opened up some negative scene possibilities for me.

(edit) hey, outpostnine is really nice. Thanks. (/edit)

Hi ., In Japan, like most Asian countries, dragons are an important part of the folklore and religion. Dragon artwork and statues found all over Japan are an example of how well integrated they are within Japanese society. While Japanese dragons are similar to dragons in China and Korea, they have some unique characteristics, including their history.
The mythology of Japan has a long history dating back more than 2,000 years. Japanese mythology includes a vast number of gods, goddesses, and spirits. Some myths describe characters and events associated with particular places in Japan. Others are set in legendary locations, such as the heavens or the underworld. I have chosen to do my report on Japanese Legends. I chose this subject because I am interested in all aspects of writing and storytelling including mysterious myths from countries around the world.