Little Osaka



Little Osaka is the Japanese area of the Eastern District. It has a more subdued style and character, it’s by far the best place in Halcyon City to get sushi, and its renowned Japanese Tea Garden brings in many visitors on its own. On the whole, however, the narrow roads, densely packed buildings, and the residents themselves remind visitors they are in the Eastern District. Even the latter is no longer the unambiguous sign that it once was, as the more recent immigrant populations from Korea and Indochina predominantly chose to settle here.

The differences are historical and economic in nature. Prior to World War II, Little Osaka was unmistakably Japanese, but the wartime ouster of the Nisei handed the neighborhood over to the opportunistic gaijin, who remade it in their own culture’s image. When the Nisei returned postwar, there was little sentiment in their dispirited numbers to restore it, and thus Little Osaka remained in its Americanized state. Business then became the neighborhood’s main pursuit, and for that reason not every shopkeeper in Little Osaka is actually a ninja or Zen martial arts master, although some tourists persist in thinking so.

Ironically, this commerce-first attitude spurred the creation of two new popular hotels catering to businessmen and visitors from Japan, but as they strive to be authentically Japanese (as opposed to Japanese-American), most Americans find them off-putting—absent those with a taste for squid chips in the vending machines.

Despite its many visitors, much of Little Osaka remains a mystery to outsiders, and few of its residents are privy to all its secrets. Among the lesser-known facets of life in Little Osaka are the equally exotic but far more illicit attractions, such as heroin, prostitution, and even more unsavory pastimes. Like all criminal activities in Little Osaka, these rackets are firmly under the iron-fisted control of the local Triad, 9 Scales, as they have for over a century—largely in secret.

Places of Interest

 * The Golden Dragon House - A restaurant and hotel offering first-class meals, accommodations, and entertainment to a very wealthy international clientele.
 * Japanese Tea Garden - The Garden consists of lush gardens, its iconic teahouse, several stone arrangements, a stone lantern, and sculpted-hedge enclosures. Water flows in streams and falls throughout the Garden by design. The Garden plays host to people of all walks of life, from those who come for traditional religious and philosophical contemplation to more secular reasons, like appreciating its great beauty or just getting in some reading or a healthy stroll. Of course, there are also tourists, drawn to a famous city landmark and photographing everything in sight.
 * Uppercut Dojo
 * Sushi-Go