There are multiple Umeda Stations, did you know?

EXS International代表のLeoです。

うちの会社ではアメリカからの留学生受け入れもやっているのですが、彼らの留学先は大阪です。大阪での生活は彼らにとってワクワクドキドキの時間ですが、同時に危険と隣り合わせの大冒険だったりもします。

この記事は、日本に来る前段階の留学生予備軍に、梅田の恐ろしさを伝えたいという趣旨で書きました。

This entry is for future ryugakusei who’s coming to Osaka to realize how dangerous Umeda (downtown Osaka) is.

Umeda Dungeon

The Dungeon, a lot of people call underground area of Umeda this way. Even local people sometimes loose their way.

Here is a map of Umeda underground. I guess you can’t imagine how difficult it is to find your way in this area by just looking at this map. However, no one can find their way at first visit. Never.

I, myself was grown up in Osaka and Umeda is my yard. Unless they do huge remodeling, I can find my way very easily. I’ll never get lost. So I can’t really feel same way as new comers any more, but I have been seeing many people getting lost in this dungeon including Japanese people who can read signs.

There are many exits in this dungeon so you could climb up the stairs and find surface without big trouble. Although, the spot you come out is always not where you were expecting LMAO.

Signs are written in English as well, but sometimes the letters are so small. AND there are many names on the sign so not very simple and easy for you to find the destination.

Some part of the dungeon have glass on the ceiling so people won’t feel like they are in the basement space. Kinda cool isn’t it?

GPS not working?

Now days, people easily feel that they can use Google maps or something like that to find their way, but if you are in the basement sometimes you won’t get signals for your smartphone. Also, this underground area is not single floor. B1, B2, sometimes, B3, and more. If it’s layered, your smartphone map is not that efficient.

So what should I do?

Is there any way you don’t get lost?

1. you can try to find floor map.
2. Just wonder around enough to install map in your head.

Pretty much, these two options are the only ways you can try.

Actually, you have one more option.

ASK people around you.

「すみません、●◯はどこですか？」

「すみません、ここはどこですか？」

etc.

まとめ

さて、ほぼ英語で書いた梅田ダンジョンの恐ろしさを伝えるブログ記事、いかがでしたでしょうか？

日本人で、日本語が読めて、話せる人でも迷子になることが多々あるという梅田の地下街。外国から来た日本語がそこまで上手じゃない人が迷わないわけがない！大阪の恐ろしい迷宮エリアについて、来日前に知ってもらえたらいいなと思って書いた記事ですが、日本に来る前の何人がこれを読み、そしてこれを役立ててくるでしょうか？

最後に、過去の留学生が梅田を紹介したビデオを載せておきますね！

How was it? I hope you could have idea of the Umeda dungeon a bit and able to prepare for it before you come to Osaka.

Here at the end, the video is about Umeda introduced by ryugakusei in 2017.