A couple of replies to the query about why people stand on escalators on the right in Osaka and on the left in Tokyo:
Wayne says we should tell the reader who asked that it wasn't so long ago that a person would have "one heck of a time" trying to walk up or down an escalator — period.
"Everyone stood on escalators on both left and right sides, so blocking you if you wanted to walk. It's only been in the last 20 years (at the very most) that people have stood to one side to let others walk on. I often found that very frustrating when I was in a hurry."