TOKYO, Jan. 11, 2024—It’s a tale of two Japanese cities: One being built with huge taxpayer money with no guarantee of sustainable growth, the other spontaneously started by long-time Korean residents and now bristling with vigor with Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other nationalities.
In the western business city of Osaka, the Japanese government is injecting nearly 1 trillion yen for the 2025 Osaka Expo on a small man-made island in Osaka Bay, and adjacent to the site, construction work is about to start for the Osaka IR project to build a casino and entertainment complex.
In Shin-Okubo of Tokyo, which had been a squalid-looking downtown inhabited by Koreans a long time ago, streets and allays are brimming with Korean restaurants, shops, groceries, with the hews and scents of Asian ethnicities added colorfully in short recent years by the influx of Indians, Nepalese, Vietnamese. Chinese of course are ubiquitous.
One can feel that this small district is prospering on the dynamics that a multiracialism society has to nurture sustainably, reminiscent of Queens or downtown Manhattan of New York. It ca be described as the power of spontaneousness created by the gathering of peoples of many persuasions.Korean eateries offer all sorts of BBQs, kimchi, and other goodies, shops sell Korean cosmetics, sweets, characters and so so that draw visitors like magnets. Vietnamese eateries offer phos, spring rolls and many more. Then there are kebabs, Indian and Nepalese curries and samosas…Ethnic culinary experiences in Shin-Okubo being as diverse and tasty, ramen shops, which typically are run by relatively young Japanese, are not as common as in other parts of Tokyo.
Except a few, such as Aeon mini supermarkets, Shin-Okubo is almost devoid of Japanese establishments, showing that they are overwhelmed in competition from Korean and other nationality entities selling everything at cut-throat prices.
It was precisely how Japan grew out of its 1945 post-World War II rubbles. Among few locations that give hints of those days past are Ueno Ameya-yokocho, where many vendors of leather goods, food, clothing and cosmetics are Japanese nationals (though they are surrendering steadily to Chinese, Korean and other rivals), and the Akihabara electric products bazaar (where Arabs are making strong inroads for PCs and smart phones vending, booting out Japanese).
Shin-Okubo, Ameya-yokocho and Akihabara are the areas that are attracting foreign nationals to do business, and they clearly are growing on their own – and without government regulations, directions and money – on free market principle, in marked contrast to the Osaka Expo and the Osaka IR project that are dictated by bureaucrats and politicians with taxpayer money.
Which city prospers is self-evident.
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