Otogakure no Sato

Otogakure no Sato

Due to Otogakure being built on crime, the village still holds true to it’s roots in some ways. While it is true that a majority of Denchi no Kuni’s income is due to the tremendous amount of rice patties that scatter the countryside, a great deal of revenue is generated from the plethora of adult entertainment that the capitol provides. Otogakure is truly a ‘city that never sleeps’, and one would merely need to visit the countryside nearby to tell this is a fact. Though the village remains relatively tame during the day, it explodes with colors and sound once the sun goes down.

The village is broken down into two districts; the downtown district, and the uptown district. The uptown district is significantly calmer than it’s sister district, but still carries some of it’s adult traits. Pubs and the occasional game house can be seen every block or so, but in general, this district acts more as the residential area. There is quite a split between the slums and the rich, however, likely due to the village life being based on a gamble. The richest of the rich live in magnificent manors of white alabaster, and have access to the highest quality of goods on the market. These massive estates are typically owned by casino owners, crime lords, or otherwise lucky bastards who just managed to roll big downtown one night.

The slums, however, are an overcrowded area in the village in which the most unfortunate souls dwell. Typically crammed into apartment houses, these families are those who are unskilled as farmers, and are employed within the village itself. These people are rarely ninja, though there are a few who dwell due to their inability to perform adequately on missions, or ones who have simply begun to adapt to the shinobi lifestyle, whom haven’t managed to show their true potential yet. This part of the village is clearly the ghetto of Oto, as it’s the dirtiest and most crowded part. Prostitutes selling themselves on the sidewalks to attempt to garner some revenue for their husbands or fathers, constant fighting in the streets over property, and theft is relatively common. Though the future in this part of the village always seems bleak, the greatest success stories as birthed here.

Towards the back center of the village lies the shinobi sector. This is where the massive Kyoukage tower is located, as well as the academy and the ‘middle-class’ homes that belong to a vast majority of shinobi, as well as some civilians who are just better off than most of their kin. This is where a majority of the village’s business takes place, as it’s well-guarded, and far nicer to look at than say, the downtown district or the slums. This area is easily the most guarded district in the whole village, due to the important nature of what business takes place here.

The downtown area, however, could be likened to one gigantic party. Enormous buildings lavished in lights that blink and sputter await visitors who’ve come far and wide to enjoy themselves. Casino’s glow at every turn with a warm, entrancing glow that beckons gamblers to try their luck at their slots, or perhaps even a game of blackjack, if they’re feeling up to it. Colors fill the air when the night sky goes up, filling the district with excitement and other base lusts. For the major bars, every hour is happy hour, and raves go all night and every night. The clubs are always booming with music, even during the day, but it seems as though the volume gets cranked up to eleven once the sun hides. The red light district becomes aflame, as erotic dancers and other show girls attempt to ‘coerce’ lonely men and couples to join them in the spiciest of activities down the bright crimson alley ways.

Original Entrance to Historical Oto

Even for the casual traveler, Otogakure is the number one hotspot for entertainment worldwide. A enormous strip that acts as a main street ascends from downtown, all the way to uptown. On this strip, inn’s, hotels, and gourmet restaurants stretch as far as the eye can see, mixing in with the various games that the village has to offer. Due to Otogakure being the newest village formed in the world, and thus, acting like a form of melting pot, one could taste all the world’s delicacy right in this single village in but one day if they so choose. Only the most skilled chefs in the country can make it in Otogakure, so each and every restaurant, while carrying it’s own distinct taste, offers a selection of the finest foods the world can offer, with Denchi no Kuni’s rice meshing well with each meal.

The hotels are just as lavished in color and lights as their casino counterparts, though, love hotels in particular remain jutting out from the red light district, and carry the colors to prove it. Each one carries it’s own unique casinos that directly influence the revenue of that hotel. These large buildings are typically owned by kingpins who enjoy milking customers for their hard earned cash, but not all of them are as sore when the house gets toppled. The business remains within the family, who at the best of times, work with the Kyoukage if necessary, and in the worst of times, against.

The village, while crowded due to a lack of expansion in the last century or so, remains dynamic as far as architecture is concerned. Buildings vary in sizes, shooting signs and billboards out to attract valuable customers to their domain. Some casinos do have rather strange shapes; one is even shaped like a musical note! All of this dynamic scenery makes it easy for Oto ninja to ambush those who are unfamiliar with the village, thus making any home assassination missions rather easy, and par for the course, considering the amount of kingpins who ‘want their money’ back.

All in all, Oto’s culture moves at it’s own tempo, and is always filled with the sounds of clubs, or even just bards practicing their trade to gain a few coins to make a living. The music note that sits upon each ninja’s forehead is not simply a convenient marking; but rather, a symbol of their way of life. It denotes the fact that, while, yes, life tends to deal you a bad hand, you must always keep the simple pleasures of life on your mind. Without music, there is nothing but darkness.

Miscellaneous

• Though there is a pristige in being the only large city in the country, as well as the capital, Otogakure no Sato is also known worldwide for its extremely robust Red Light district.
• The majority of the village's income depends on rice exports to other countries.
• The average building height of Otogakure no Sato is lower than other capitals.
• The Kyoukage is the head of the government and military.