近所：枚方市 | Neighborhood Hirakata

In my mind, a neighborhood is not just where you live and who you live near, but what you experience as you pass through it. With this in mind, I selected my neighborhood as the areas and people I pass by when going to and from school.

The day begins leaving my dorms, of which occupy a spot not too far from campus.

Continuing on, I pass through a very quiet residential area. The streets here are narrow, not much wider than your single, average-sized American car. The road is flanked by quiet, reserved Japanese houses. Cars rarely traverse this area. However, in lieu of heavy automobile traffic, one is much more likely to encounter men and women walking their dogs, coming back from a small grocery store trip, or students going to and coming from campus.

As you emerge out of this little side street, a somewhat peculiar place appears in this quiet japanese suburb. Anyone familiar with the construction industry will easily recognize the Komatsu brand. It’s labeled as the Osaka plant, despite being a 30 minute train ride from Osaka.

Every day, rain or shine, guards patrol the premises entrances. Quite solemn, always watching, these guards seemingly only duty is to direct trucks in and out. I wonder what they think about all day standing there watching everyone go by.

After another minute of heading towards campus, I’m greeted by the campus security guards, of which also greet you in the morning with an “お早うございます！” (ohayou gozaimasu) and bid you farewell with a “さよなら！” (sayonara)

Eventually, I come to the bike racks, of which are unpopulated in the morning, but always packed when leaving.

Lastly, I’m greeted by a large room in the Center for International Education building that’s walled with windows. As a result, it’s often referred to simply as the fishbowl.

First Impressions

In my mind, Japan possesses a very peculiar reputation in regards to its typical symbols. It’s a land at the height of technology, yet one that reveres its long-gone era of simplicity. It’s the realm of geisha and samurai, but also the home of companies like Sony and Toyota. A world apart, yet thoroughly connected to the rest of the world. Japan is simply… Japan.

As far as first impressions go, my feelings are a bit mixed. Having just come from Shanghai, China, I became quite used to the fast pace and density of a city that houses 20 million people. I came expecting stores so packed it looked like they were fighting for streetfront. In this aspect, however, I was met with a much different landscape. Things are a lot more calm and less packed with people. The streets are cramped, but not competitive. Things seem more like they’re carefully arranged and designed as opposed to haphazardly thrown together. In this sense, despite Hirakata not matching my expectations, I’m still strangely satisfied.

Additionally, knowing what I did from Japanese class in the States, I was aware of some of Japan’s more culturally-subjectively peculiar customs and festivals. Though I came equipped with some of this knowledge, there was plenty I wasn’t taught, such as the 節分 festival. In said festival, it is customarily wrapped up with the scattering of beans. However, in the festival I witnessed, this “scattering” was in fact the throwing of peanuts over a crowd by well-respected public officials, a sumo wrestler, and geisha.

One aspect, however, that I was more than satisfied with, is the cuisine of Japan. Onigiri, tonkatsu, etc. are all among things that have met and surpassed what I imagined they would be here. The only drawback, of course, is the price. However, while it may be expensive to an American like me, it’s only a deterrent, not a wall. And, in accordance with some of the prices, the food is naturally gorgeous.