Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Table of Contents
New Year Sales Off to a Booming Start
Osaka’s always lively city center was even busier than usual this past weekend. With retail stores reopening for business from last Friday, New Year shoppers flooded into the downtown shopping areas, eager to snap up a bargain. Outside major department stores in Namba, Shinsaibashi and Umeda, some shoppers even queued outside.
The sub-zero temperatures did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Early indicators suggest many stores enjoyed an even better New Year surge in sales than last year. Many shoppers were enthused by their end of year bonuses, and the big discounts on offer.
New Year sales will run through most of January. However, the first few days after the New Year holiday period is usually the peak in terms of store footfall.
New Year, Same Old Problems for Osaka Expo
With the New Year, we are now less than 90 days out from the official beginning of the 2025 Osaka World Expo. Even with the event this close, public enthusiasm remains tepid. In some regards, one could even say outright hostile. Rumors of visa regulations being loosened to bring in more foreign visitors to the event have only further stoked tensions in the city.
According to sources, government officials are considering an easing of Japan’s strict policies for regulating who can enter the country and for how long, on tourist visas. They hope this will encourage more visitors to the Expo. However, Osaka residents expressed concern that this may lead to an increase in visa over-stayers. Amidst a national demographic crisis, cases of people entering Japan with the express purpose of working illegally have increased.
There also remains a widespread perception that the event’s organizers seem increasingly focused on the tourist trade. It is alleged they have done little to attract more engagement from Osaka residents.
A change in visa policy, even temporarily would only serve to harden this belief in the minds of many. Although Japan has always been a welcoming country to visitors, over-tourism is an increasing concern for many. When it comes to economic migrants, Japan also has some of the most stringent vetting polices for issuing visas in the world. Any softening of this stance, even if it did boost Expo attendances, would certainly draw wrath from the more conservative elements of Japanese society.
Representatives of the Expo organizing committee would not comment on the speculation. However, in the eyes of many, silence serves only to confirm their suspicions.
New Burger Wows Customers at Kansai Airport
In lighter news, a new menu item at Kansai Airport is going down a storm with travelers both local and domestic. This success comes despite a very high price tag. The Kobe Wagyu Beef Onigiri Burger, retails for 5500 yen (approximately 35 US dollars). Its basically a burger formed from the finest Kobe Wagyu beef, sandwiched between two balls of sticky rice.
However, as any good chef will tell you, sometimes it’s the simple approach that works best. Customers have responded in an overwhelmingly positive way to the pricey treat.
The Onigiri Burger Shop sells these burgers at their store near the international departure gates. Currently, they only produce 80 of them per day. However, with stocks routinely selling out every day, the store’s owners admitted they are looking at ways to increase their daily quota.
But in the meantime, if you want to sample one of these local delicacies for yourself, before you leave Osaka, then you better be quick.
And Finally…
We end today’s news round up on a somber note. Osaka Prefecture’s oldest resident, and indeed the oldest living person in the world, sadly died last week.
116 year old Tomiko Itooka, passed away peacefully on December 29th. She held the title of World’s Oldest Living Person for just over 4 months. She inherited the title when the previous record holder, a Spanish national, died in August at the age of 117.
With Itooka’s passing, the title of Japan’s oldest living citizen now passes to 115 year old Okagi Hayashi, a resident of Gifu Prefecture.
Osaka has a long history of centenarian record holders. The city was also home to Japan’s 2nd oldest ever woman, Fusa Tatsumi., who made it to 116 years, 231 days before her death in 2023.
With an ageing population and continuing medical advances, we probably won’t have to wait too long until these records are surpassed once again in Osaka.
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
