In the cult-film classic "Death Ride to Osaka," there is a scene in which tough Tokyo yakuza drag a Western hostess kicking and screaming out the door. The hostess has just been banished from the bright lights of Tokyo's Ginza to the foul backwater of Osaka.

Visitors to the real Osaka often come away with images that, while less sensational those provided by Hollywood, are not always a complete picture.

Local tourism officials compound the image problem by printing brochures of ugly, drab architectural monstrosities they think people will visit, or of obvious tourist-traps where you are more likely to be fleeced than have a good time. It's as if they are so embarrassed about the city they feel they can do little more than provide visitors with a plastic, theme-park like experience because the "real" Osaka is too down and dirty.