Kansai

Kansai 関西 is the western region of the main Japanese island of Honshu, second only to Kanto region of Eastern Japan in population. The area is also known as Kinki 近畿 District, literally "near the capital" referring to ancient capital Kyoto, and its three big cities — Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe — as Keihanshin 京阪神.

Differences between Kansai and Kanto the eastern region dominated by Tokyo are slight but numerous. Kansai people speak a distinctive dialect of Japanese, use lighter-colored soy in their cooking, ride on the other side of escalators and are renowned for humor and their love of food.