Being blessed of this being my 2nd study abroad, people ask me how this study abroad is going, how does it compare to Kansai, and which one I like better.
So first of all, for those that don't know, Kansai and Kanto just refers to regions. With history, there was big battles between west and east. These two areas were capitals and important regions for Japan's history.
My first study abroad was in Kyoto. Kyoto is the old capital and when people hear Kyoto, they think of traditional. Kyoto being the old capital, there is a lot of traditional arts, temples, and just very strong preservation of history there. I really like Kyoto and Kansai. What I really like about Kansai is that you KNOW you are in Japan in Kansai. People are nice, food is good, and traditional arts and things are everywhere. I also liked that it was easy to go to other cities. Such as Osaka, Nara, and Kobe. They are all fairly close.
Tokyo is well, different. I really enjoy my time here in Tokyo as well. But there is a joke with my friend, and if we see something weird, strange, or something we aren't used to, then we say "That's Tokyo!". For example, people yelling, people sleeping in the middle of the street in business suits, people bumping into you, people running for their trains, it is kind of normal after a while in my opinion. There is so much hustle and bustle here in Tokyo. There are so many people! But that can be seen as good or bad. Trying to do business in Japan, everyone thinks of Tokyo.
So long story short! They are so different! I would tell people that if you want to learn culture, then I suggest Kansai. If you want to learn more about business, then I would suggest Kanto.