My favorite city on Earth - Osaka, Japan

The gauntlet has hit the floor; I staked my claim and am ready to defend it.

That being said, this is all purely subjective. Well, not purely. There are plenty of objectively great points about Osaka, Japan. But for me, it's mostly about the way my little vacation saved me from mounting frustration as a foreign exchange student several years ago and forever changed the way that I view this decidedly quirky "Kitchen of Japan."

I'm an admitted Japanophile or otaku - take your pick. So it's difficult to find the right place to start when discussing what makes Osaka different. Let's start with where the story began ages and ages ago, leaving the port city of Osaka as the ragtag stepchild among Japan's storied seats of power.

As you may or may not know, Tokyo Japan, the world's largest city, is also the country's capital. Today that means the Prime Minister lives there, as well as the Emperor. Prior to World War II, the Emperor would have governed from Tokyo, although now that station is largely ceremonial. But Tokyo has not always been the capital of Japan. Prior to 1868, Kyoto Japan was the country's capital for more than 1,000 years. And before this, Nara was the capital city for most of the AD 700's.

Conspicuously absent from this list is the third-largest city in Japan - Osaka. That's because it was never a home for the highfalutin royals. Rather, Osaka is and was a port city. Their claim to fame has always been about trade. Even when most of Japan was strictly closed to foreigners during the "Sakoku" (1693 - 1853) period, Osaka was one of a few places in Japan which foreign delegations travelled to. First as a domestic center of trade, and later to the rest of East Asia and beyond, Osaka cemented its legacy with the fruit of their own labor rather than the decrees of Heaven.

Today Osaka is a comparatively cosmopolitan city, in a nation known for homogeneity. Refreshingly unpretentious, it's a city of immigrants featuring a famed Koreatown district as well as an abundance of Chinese tourists and residents. Without the historical burden of nobility to which Kyoto and Tokyo are subject, Osaka has been free to explore; and the city certainly has done so.

In addition to their reputation for serving the best food anywhere in Japan, Osakans are known to be equally skilled at devouring said delicacies. Contrasting with the staid rigidity one might find in Tokyo (except on a Friday or Saturday night), Osakans know exactly how to let loose - and they even made it into an art form. True to brand, they also monetized it.

In Japan, you're hardly a comedian if you didn't at the very least learn your craft in Osaka. Stage actors also must make their pilgrimage there. It is a haven for the arts. That is to say, if you live in Osaka and you're not a little odd, you're rather odd. Best of all, the culture reflects this in myriad ways.

Namely, people in Osaka seem to have much less anxiety about meeting new/unfamiliar faces. I made friends in very short order by trying out my Japanese in a quaint seafood eatery, but even knowing a little Japanese isn't necessary to get to know Osakans who can speak just as well in smiles and pantomimes. In another interaction, a man on the street came up to me and offered to take glamorous photos which would otherwise have been selfies, with yet another man (haggard, contented, and surrounded by birds) who was feeding seagulls on the sidewalk until he practically wore them. Just another day in Osaka.

I know this may ruffle some feathers, but for me Osaka was closer to the Japan experience I had dreamed of having before going to Japan. I met a lot of people, and had a lot of fun; I ate, I danced, and (most importantly at the time) I practiced Japanese with several far-from-shy Japanese people. Yet, Osaka could never compare in measurable metrics with Tokyo.

I suppose that is the lesson I learned there. Travelling is not just, or primarily, about the destination itself, but about the perspective with which you approach it, and the particular experiences YOU may have. Osaka is a great city, but for someone who lived in Tokyo and Tel Aviv, and travelled to Istanbul and Paris, how can it be my top pick? I think the reason is because it represented an escape from the frustration of my student life in Tokyo, to break free and explore all the things I wanted to but couldn't before. Naturally, I was a stranger in Osaka as well - but no stranger than anyone else.

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