Ousho City



Ousho City is the capital (and only population center) of Ousho. It was first settled in the 23rd century as a dormitory site for workers exploiting (now long gone) mountain ranges. It was host to a space elevator complex, which attracted people looking for work and entrepreneurs hoping to supply them. Now it is a teeming metropolis of 28 million recorded human beings. It is home to the headquarters of the Ashio-Ichibei Corporation.

Architecture
The city makes wide use of simply designed, concrete based building blocks. These range from individual tall buildings lined up side by side in a block to massive single structures that take up the entire block. Buildings typically range from 40 to 100 floors in height, averaging in the 60-80 range. They often using skywalk systems to interconnect them, alleviating ground traffic. These buildings to not use setbacks, and as such block significant amount of sunlight from reaching the streets below. These buildings are combinations of shops and apartments (in varying floor ratios between districts), and typically have about three floors below street level. These monoliths account for more than two thirds of the buildings in the city, and are solidly constructed with sturdy flooring, dooring and walls to prevent widespread fires.



A second type of building, originally called to compose the entire habitable portions of the city, are capsule towers. These structures are all private office or apartment spaces, owing to their small size. The structures themselves are tall skeletons of stairway and elevators, to which modular "capsules" are attached. These range in size from a single person unit of less than 600 square feet to large, 3000 square foot office spaces. They can be attached and detached at will for replacement and upgrade. This style of structure was abandoned for widespread use after the extra cost became apparent. These units are all but fireproof as they are steel and concrete, with few if any combustibles.

Parks
The natural soil of Ousho, where there is any, is not well suited for growing earth-native plants. No bacteria fixes nitrogen here. Buying soil and fertilizer is expensive, and the Corporation is uninterested in any large-scale gardening projects. There are, however, Art Parks - plazas of brickwork and contemporary sculpture.

Districts
The city is composed of twelve administrative districts. Eight of the districts are mixed-use zones, comprising of commercial, official, institutional and residential endeavors. Two districts are purely industrial, consisting of densely packed, high rising industrial facilities, while the other two are warehouse storage (supporting the Central Port Authority) and Administrative (housing the brain of the city). Within each district are numerous neighborhoods, some sporting their own distinctive subcultures.


 * District A - the administrative heart. All of the higher city and corporate administrative buildings are here, including the Shiro - Headquarters of the Corporation itself.  It is a heavily policed zone, and is very secure.


 * District B - District B has a high number of hotels and temporary quarters striving to accommodate those who are only visiting the planet. Located close to the Central Port Authority, is hosts many tourist attractions and businesses hoping to sell local culture and souvenirs.  It is home to four concert halls, two art museums, a science museum, numerous brothels, three Art Parks and two kabuki theaters.


 * District C - District C has a disproportionately high number of shopping centers, featuring some of the finest shops in the city. It strives to attract monied people from districts A and B, though it is most frequently shopped by residents.  It is host to the Ousho Open Air Market, an early opening market that operates well into the night.  It is most frequented by tourists, the upper middle and upper class.  It is a heavily policed and camerad zone.


 * District D - District D is a fenced-in warehouse district with a direct freight line from the Central Port Authority. It is essentially a bunch of sorting houses for incoming goods and warehouses for storing them.  It is the stomach to the CPA's mouth and District A's brain.  The ultimate fate of D is uncertain; talk of erecting a new freight oriented Elevator on the outskirts of the city and turning CPA over entirely to handling people may leave this district a ghost town of abandoned warehouses.  It is policed heavily.


 * District E - District E is a mixed use zone. It is generally a middle to upper class zone, until you reach the E-I border, where it merges into I's low income zone.  Like most mixed use zones, shopping and the like dominates the lower floors and sub-level areas, with housing located above.  Housing gets finer and more expensive as you move upwards in the towers and closer towards District A.  Penthouses here are especially nice.


 * District F - District F is the largest and most diverse mixed use zone. It is much like a larger version of District E, except property gets more expensive as you go upwards and inwards.  Central F Penthouses are really nice; two board members and the CFO of the Corporation own one here.  Two of the city's most famous dojos are here, as is an art museum.  The city's largest Art Park is also located here, often practiced in by the more advanced students of the various local dojos.


 * District G - District G is a lower middle to lower class mixed use zone. There are fewer shops here due to proximity to District C.  The more expensive properties are near the G-C border, where it merges in with the very monied economy there.  The poorer neighborhoods with devalued properties are located closer to the border with Industrial Sector B.  Most of the population falls into the lower income brackets.  It hosts a famous boxing ring and a well known MMA arena.


 * District H - District H is a low income housing district. There are some basic retail zones, but nothing much above convenience store levels.  Entertainment here is especially basic, with an infamous red light district called Otoshiana.


 * District I - District I is another low income zone. This is the poorest district, and in spite of being a mixed zone, hosts little more than cheap housing.  It is thought that as many as 1/5 of the housing units here are actually Yakuza-owned safe houses.


 * District J - District J is another low income neighborhood much like H, G and I. Unlike I, it hosts commercial activity, but much like H it is of the most basic variety  Most of the employed residents here work either in the zone or in Industrial B.


 * Industrail A - Industrial Area A is the city's most productive factory zone. Most of the labor is low income, but are better paid than the retail and service sector in other districts.  It devalues the properties of Districts J and F that border it (which is, fortunately for these lowly paid factory workers, where many of them live).  Many of the industries here operate 16-24 hours a day, employing people in various shifts.  The factories here produce everything from clothing to medical supplies to collectible card games.


 * Industrial B - Much like Industrial A.  It houses some fine industries that produce everything from steel to electronics.  It devalues the properties of Districts H, G and F where they border.  Luckily for these lowly paid workers, that puts relatively cheap housing within close proximity to their jobs.


 * Processing - Waste processing culminates from the city-wide system in this area. It is busiest from 11-3, but is mostly abandoned otherwise.  It has a reputation as a spot for body dumping.  This is the liver and kidney's of the city.

Outside of the city are temporary slums, inhabited by criminals on the run, the insane, the unemployed and those who have taken the path of poverty. It is rife with disorganized, petty crime and is well known for violent deaths. It is theorized that the Watosabi recruit and station many of their operations here. The Colony is located within this general area.

There also exist "Special Police Districts", which are essentially a layout of all the money concentration by area. High concentration districts receive the most frequent and powerful police patrols and receive the most time and effort for crime solving within them. It roughly corresponds to regular districts, but is much more organic in nature. The more a certain neighborhood is worth in the city, the more police attention it can expect.

Culture
For more information about social subcultures, see Subcultures on Ousho.

Though it is difficult to simply describe the culture of a city with diverse tastes, it is often necessary to do so. In a nutshell, the bulk of the population is highly materialistic and consumeristic. The act of purchasing is highly regarded, and the bulk of the population engage in material oriented social posturing. It is common for people to create solid opinions about others based on the kinds of goods that they buy, at what price point they buy them at, and how much of their disposable income that price point consumes. Keeping up with fashion in clothing, electronics and even diets is of major concern to the bulk of the denizens of this hive; little substance is awarded to anything else. Gift giving is, in this environment, very important. The kind of gift and its value carries a powerful message to the individual you are giving it to. This tells them how much they value you. Conspicuous Consumption is god now, and we have not killed him. Second-hand things are anathema to the "in" crowed.

Beyond the simple buying experience of life, involvement in various kinds of fun are important. Society expects you to be extremely loyal to your job (even when it is not to you), which is taxing - play hard to compensate. The different sub-cultures of mainstream society (that is, different facets of the consumerist lifestyle) have their own circles and ideas of "the best time". Raving, clubbing and the like is popular, as is drinking and visiting the red-light districts. They are a people driven by comfort and security, the last men we will ever know.

Many of these sub-cultures are surviving or rekindled ones from old Earth, though some have changed over time to fit the ever evolving commodity market. Buying in to a sub-culture is the easy part; it might cost a lot to amass all the right materials that make you a Gyaru, but you can get them at almost any of the hundreds of department stores and shops throughout the city. They're more than willing to sell you an identity. The hard part is winning your way into circles, which requires you to behave the right way and know the right people. It's best to make friends young and just follow the leader - much easier.

With every culture, there is a counter culture. The city is also host to a variety of counter cultures that vary in authenticity. The punk sub-culture appears to have started as this, but has become more a part of mass society than apart from it. Their thing is impotent protest against the machine they support. They have a very flashy style of dress, one that values shock. They adopt a very "against you" attitude, where they show flippant disregard for any non-insiders.



For more substantial counter cultures, there are a number of actual anti-corporate and anti-socialist factions. They are often small and neigh ineffectual, but they are dedicated and tenacious. The Colony houses some, but there are many who dwell within the city (as it is hard to survive outside it). The most well known and most dangerous is likely the Ousho City Liberation Front, but there are other rising stars in the sky.

The city is the birthplace of nuKlub, a popular music genre in the Colony Sphere. It is also the home of the most vending machines per square kilometer and home to a few avant-garde art and music styles. It also gave birth to the Geometrism school of sculpture design.

The city houses a number of art museums and universities, as well as schools for music making and production. Dancing schools are quite popular, and the Host and Hostess Clubs of Ousho are famous and subject to much tourism. Shopping districts are also well known. There are whole mini-malls composed entirely of (extremely overbuilt) vending machines, a form of shopping unique to this world. It also exports a number of fashion styles uniquely designed by the Corporation. Many widely read manga and widely viewed anime works have their origins in or are published out of this city, making it the Japanimation capital of the world.

Contemporary Life
Though the resurrected Chonindo spirit has died out within the general population, some of its spirit remains. Engaging in cultural pursuits is very important to the average citizen of the city. What it means to "Engage" varies from person to person. It could involve actively producing music or art, or (more commonly) purchase and appreciation. Experiencing culture with one's friends and associates is the most common pass time, where malls, movie theaters, dance clubs and rave parties come into play. Social society is very important, as most people live in very small apartments that aren't conductive to hosting elaborate events.

Work is very important as well. One's job is central to their life, as it provides the income that permits them to do the things they want to do. Any job or career can be found here, from brothel-girl to corporate executive. One is expected to be loyal to their job, even when it appears to them that the job is not treating them fairly. People who frequently trade employment are considered very strange, and it is a major personal undertaking for an individual to change employers. Work days average between 7 and 12 hours, depending on your job or career path.

General society has hit something of a decay, once spoken of a few generations back but now never really uttered. Common society is mass society, and families have become, for most people, little more than living arrangements. Loyalty and family values have been subverted or replaced by the ideals of a mass consumerist society. Good behavior is rewarded with material goods and never taken as the reward itself. The Internet raises children more than the parents, a blessing when parents are forever on the go. Money and allowance are as much a bribe for quiet as it is reward for doing anything. A frequent saying in anti-Corporate propaganda (put forward by many anti-social groups) is: "The family is dead, and money has killed it".

Economy
The city's economy is based heavily on manufacturing and retail. Vast areas on the outskirts of town are devoted to enormous factory complexes, and retail venues can be found everywhere. Tourists are also a sizable portion of the city's local economy, accounting for 1/9th of all money spent. It is the headquarters world of the Ashio-Ichibei Corporation, one of the top ranked Mega Corporations. Exports are also a sizable share, weighing in at 1/5th.

Demographics
The registered population of the city is 38.8 million. It is 83% Japanese, 11% White, 6% Other.

50% of the population is employed in industrial or low-level service jobs (blue collar). 35% are employed in entertainment and the arts, with the remainder being in management (white collar).

Government
The city is managed by the Ashio-Ibechi Corporation. It is classified as a "Corporate World", one in which all shots are called by the controlling corporation, in line with interstellar agreements.

Crime
See also: Ousho City Law

Between the unmonitored low-income neighborhoods with their gangs to the mighty Yakuza clans, crime is rampant. The Corporation is a for-profit business, and only provides law enforcement and justice systems because they are obligated by law to do so. This means cutting corners. Only the high-dollar areas are very secure, and only the middle class neighborhoods on up receive any kind of police presence with any regularity. There are approximately 1,000 recorded homicides a year, and illegal prostitution is very common. Most murders are committed with common household instruments, as firearms are difficult to obtain.

In spite of a very liberal drug policy and legalized prostitution, drug traffickers, dealers and street walkers are common.

Yakuza clans provide a rudimentary form of protection for those within their territory. Strongly associated territorial regions are free of regular petty crime; it is only the criminally insane and highly mobile that disregard the very real fear of Yakuza retribution. If one wrongs the wrong person under a clan's protection (or a member of the clan itself), the outcome is rarely pretty.

In addition to Yakuza help (which is really limited to presence in most cases), private investigators and street samurai provide some muscle to conduct or counter crime. Missing people are usually found by PI's and other hired help, and well-covered murders are hardly ever pursued by the Corporate police.

Education
The city's public school system is within the requirements set by interstellar regulation. It has a 89% completion rate. Private schooling is a popular option for those that can afford it, and it is becoming more frequent that several families pool their wages to hire a single tutor for their collected group of kids.

The city is also host to a number of accredited universities, including the University of Tokyo, Ousho City. This brings a constant influx of new students year after year.

Transportation
The mass transit systems of the city are 24 hour services, and are quite complex. The city has a heavy focus on subway and light rail systems, and most places in the city can be easily reached using it. Taxi services are also widespread.