OSAKA -- Forget the phrase "Excuse me." Here in Osaka, nobody's going to excuse you, much less give you a second thought. Besides, if you've been raised with, say, English manners, you'd have to say "Excuse me" a million times a day.

Don't expect drivers to give you the right of way at a crosswalk or anywhere else. Even when the road is congested, traffic is moving at a snail's pace and you're already three steps into the zebra stripes, an Osaka driver will just swerve around you as if you were simply another obstacle in his way.

Even on the sidewalk, you can't afford to let your guard down. Bicycles whisk past on both sides, from both directions, at a frantic pace, either with no warning at all or signaled by a continuous, impatient ringing of the bike bell.