Osaka is deemed the most uncivilized city among Japan's 47 prefectures... This conclusion stems from a survey conducted by Preply (USA), an online English conversation course website, regarding the actual civility status of various cities. On the other hand, Chiba City ranks first in terms of courteous cities.
The survey, conducted online in February 2024, targeted 2,008 men and women aged 16 to 55 nationwide in Japan. Preply surveyed the actual state of uncivilized behavior, such as "Do you believe there is uncivilized behavior in the city where you reside?" and "What behaviors do you consider to be uncivilized?" The survey results are summarized in ranked form below.
"Osaka" tops the ranking of uncivilized cities, garnering a large number of votes, significantly ahead of second place and beyond. Next is "Tokyo," ranking second, followed by "Aomori" in third place, "Yokohama" in fourth place, and "Saitama" in fifth place.
Looking at the results from various regions, the worst is the "Kinki region," followed by the "Kanto region," ranking second, and the "Chubu region" ranking third.
Regarding these results, Preply states, "Osaka" is an area of Japan with a particularly unique culture, and although the uncivilized population correlates with its large population, this may be seen as 'uncivilized'."
On the other hand, in the ranking of civil and polite cities, Chiba, Kumamoto, and Sapporo tie for first place. Among them, the standout city is "Kumamoto." In JAF's (Japan Automobile Federation) 2023 nationwide survey on the "rate of cars stopping when pedestrians cross the road at uncontrolled crossings," Kumamoto Prefecture has exceeded the average level, reaching 66.1%, while the national average is 45.1%.
Where are you most likely to see uncivilized behavior in which cities?
The survey also asked respondents in each city about the frequency of seeing "unethical behavior." Cities ranking high are as follows.
Summarized ranking of all surveys:
▽ Not thanking store staff or bus drivers
・Worst: 1st place "Osaka," 2nd place "Tokyo," 3rd place "Yokohama"
・Conversely, places with the fewest occurrences are: 1st place "Kanazawa," 2nd place "Niigata," tied for 3rd place "Chiba," "Matsumoto," "Naha," "Sendai"
▽ Not cleaning up dog excrement
・Worst: 1st place "Osaka," 2nd place "Tokyo," 3rd place "Aomori"
・Places with the fewest uncivilized behaviors: tied for 1st place "Kumamoto," "Niigata," 3rd place "Hamamatsu," "Kanazawa," "Sapporo"
▽ Cars not slowing down near pedestrians
・Worst: 1st place "Osaka," 2nd place "Tokyo," 3rd place "Aomori"
・On the other hand, places with the least misconduct: tied for 1st place "Asahikawa," "Kumamoto," "Kyoto"
▽ Not holding the door while waiting
・Worst: 1st place "Osaka," 2nd place "Tokyo," 3rd place "Aomori"
・Places with the fewest uncivilized behaviors: 1st place "Asahikawa," 2nd place "Niigata," tied for 3rd place "Kanazawa," "Kobe," "Sapporo"
▽ Not following traffic lights when crossing pedestrian crossings
・Worst: 1st place "Osaka," 2nd place "Tokyo," 3rd place "Aomori"
・On the other hand, places with the least violations: "Asahikawa," "Fukuoka," "Hamamatsu," "Kanazawa," "Niigata," "Sapporo"
