Osaka

Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市) is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with more than 31 million inhabitants. Osaka is the city for up-coming Rocker and Media talent. Most of the comedians popular today are from the Kansai area (Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto). The second biggest sprawl in Japan is the source of Japan's biggest cultural conflict, the Kansai-Kanto (Tokyo sprawl) conflict. While Kyoto is the "History City" and has very refined manners, they and the Osakans are similar to Americans. They say what's on their mind, and will haggle gleefully for the smallest amount. They despise the quiet, haughty Kant-jin. Kansai people tend to be brash, loud, joyful people, even in this day and age.

Tokyo people. since they must use tatamae, use their mind-reading skills (actually, Human Perception) to know what's going on. They dislike the Osakans, who talk everything out, and Tokyo-jin hate bargain; it's unstylish, and very prole. They do want things cheaply however, so Tokyo shops tend to be lower-priced to begin with, and discount shops get plenty of customers.

Osaka is the business capital of Kansai. Most Japanese corps that aren't HQed here have their secondary office here. This is also the Yakuza homeland. Everything goes in Osaka, and the many comedy clubs turn out popular 'Rockers. Osaka is full of the skyscrapers that Kyoto won't allow.

The Kansai International Airport, on an artificial island in the bay, is a major source of smuggling, as is the Osaka bay terminal. The guards here are extra careful, but like the Tokyo AeroSpace Port, there's just so much coming in, and so much Yakuza pressure, that a lot of contraband slips by. Also, much of the security that would be checking for smuggling is used to guard against angry residents who want to sleep at night.

One of the best places for shopping and night life is America Village (Amerika-mura) in South Osaka. This is a big gaijin area, and most "imported" goods can be found here.

History
The city of Osaka has its beginnings far in the past. The first signs of human life and habitation in the area around Osaka were buried skeletons that are dated back to the 5-6th century before Christ. During the Yayoi period, the city experienced an increase of population as the rice farming grew and the port became a greater point of trade. Because of a larger amount of bigger, richer tombs, scientists came to the conclusion that the city also was a centre for politic actions. In 645, Emperor Kōtoku built the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace, making Naniwa – the former Name of Osaka by that time that today is still used for certain districts – the new capital of Japan. Shortly after another city became capital but Naniwa kept being a centre and connection for trade with near prefectures and countries like China and Korea.

In 1496, a Buddhist sect set its new headquarters in the strong and well fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji temple. The government set up a siege for nearly ten years until the sect was driven out and the temple was destroyed. Instead to rebuild it, the famous Osaka Castle was built in its place. Throughout the years, Osaka grew to an economic centre and a major Japanese city. Besides economy and trade, it developed a rich art culture, bringing up ukiyo-e pictures and Kabuki theaters for example. In 1837, a samurai called Ōshio Heihachirō started a rebellion supported by the locals because the government refused to help the many poor families. It violently put the rebellion down and Ōshio committed suicide after his defeat. Thus, can be seen that even such a modern city had its problems with poverty, hunger and more. In 1888, then, Osaka was opened up for foreign trade which led to another increase of area and population.

During the 19th century, Osaka was expanded massively. The promising situation there brought in many immigrants from Korea. Since the politics were strong in the direction of industrialization and economy, the city continued to grow at fast speed and became one of the most modern cities in Japan. During the World War II, Osaka was hit several times by American air raids and suffered the destruction of wide urban areas. Since the war, the city is building itself up.

During the 21th century, Osaka expanded through the Fourth Corporate War which the city saw no loss from while the rest of the country struggled. During this time Osaka was a peaceful city with lots of new cyberware and breakthroughs being made. In 2045 Osaka became the third largest metropolis on Earth, Tokyo being number one.

Osaka Wards
Osaka has 24 wards (区 ku):

Weather
Osaka is located in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Its winters are generally mild, with January being the coldest month having an average high of 9.3 °C (49 °F). The city rarely sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Osaka starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. It also tends to be Osaka's wettest season, with the tsuyu (梅雨 tsuyu, "plum rain") — the rainy season — occurring between early June (average:Jun.7) to late July (average:Jul.21).[26] Summers are very hot and humid. In August, the hottest month, the average daily high temperature reaches 33.5 °C (92 °F), while average nighttime low temperatures typically hover around 25.5 °C (78 °F). Fall in Osaka sees a cooling trend, with the early part of the season resembling summer while the latter part of fall resembles winter. Precipitation is abundant, with winter being the driest season, while monthly rainfall peaks in June with the "tsuyu" rainy season, which typically ends in mid to late July. From late July through the end of August, summer's heat and humidity peaks, and rainfall decreases some. Osaka experiences a second rainy period in September and early October, when tropical weather systems, including typhoons, coming from the south or southwest are possible.

Economy
The gross city product of Osaka in fiscal year 2045 was ¥31.3 trillion, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. The figure accounts for about 55% of the total output in the Osaka Prefecture and 26.5% in the Kinki region. In 2045, commerce, services, and manufacturing have been the three major industries, accounting for 30%, 26%, and 11% of the total, respectively. The per capita income in the city was about ¥5.3 million, 10% higher than that of the Osaka Prefecture. Osaka ranks 14th among the world's leading cities and plays an important role in the global economy.