My neighborhood:Hirakata

This is the view from my room in Seminar House 1. My neighborhood is in Hirakata city, and after looking on Google maps, the houses are in Katahoto Higashimachi. I like that our seminar houses are enclosed in a neighborhood, instead of being isolated somewhere or being close to the uni and away from Japan. I've heard while working in the international office at home that international student housing abroad tends to be trashy, where students end up isolated and away from the culture that they are trying to immerse themselves in. However, Kansai Gaidai is a different place. There are different neighborhoods and relationships that I've made that reflect on my personality as well as the area where I live. There is the neighborhood of the seminar houses, and the friends I have in that house. While the house is the oldest and smallest among the four, I chose it mainly because I wanted to not only make friends outside my house but to also have a place where I can be friends with everyone in one place without feeling obligated to know everyone, if that made any sense. The friends that I've made in the seminar house are family-like, not necessarily that I trust them more or feel closer to them compared to everyone else. I feel like they are a family in the sense that we can eat together, talk about our highs and lows, and overall have a good time with each other without the pressures of family obligations. I still learn more and more each day about the people in my house and our okasan and otosan of the house are so helpful and friendly, even as we struggle with the language. My house is also the perfect place to learn my Japanese, from my RA's and other students who have been here longer.

The actual neighborhood is pretty peaceful and a typical neighborhood that one could imagine. Many many houses with winding streets and alleyways. "Beer Park" where kids play, parents talk, and people walk their small small dogs. Ten minutes out of the neighborhood and you're already starting to see the city life.

Another "neighborhood" that I just want to mention is the one at CIE. The neighborhood changes every class period, as chairs are constantly moving and people are moving all over to different groups. Here, I have my other group of friends with whom I spend more time with, in class, in the lounge, and on weekends. And only after leaving the main gate of the university is where I truly feel like I've entered into the city of Hirakata.

The best way one can see a neighborhood is to get lost in it. My first day being in Japan, me and my roommate got lost trying to find the university but ended up finding everything else that we needed while we were here. Once after a day in Osaka, me and my friend got lost using the buses and had to walk all the way back to the seminar houses. Later on, I realized that the places that we passed at night were the Kappa Sushi place that I ended up going to last week. In the times that I was lost, I was a bit scared due to how late it was and therefore couldn't appreciate what was around me. Once I went to the same place again, even if it was at night, it was a completely different perspective. I have yet to explore the rest of Hirakata and my neighborhood, but from everything that I've seen and heard, it is very similar to what neighborhoods are like. Families and pets, the bustling city sounds nearby, the store clerks persuading potential customers nearby. Children running in the park as students on bikes ride home. The neighborhood life is no different than the neighborhoods back at home. But I still need time to get to know my neighborhood and the people in it.

First Impressions of Japan

My first impressions of Japan were somewhat what I had imagined. However, this is my first study abroad so this was also my first time living alone without knowing anyone besides a selected few. I commute from home to my university have a good group of friends, so my main concern was being totally independent of myself without my family physically being here, as well as the usual making friends. Japan had met my expectations but also surprised me as the days went by. I had experienced a bit of Japan back in America, by trying Japanese food, taking Japanese history classes and learning the culture through media and friends. I could call my early interest in Japan my preparation for when I actually visited Japan, but I would underestimate myself. Even with my open mind for food and respect for the traditions of different cultures, I am still in awe about living in such an amazing country. One impression that struck me came up when I was coming home from Tokyo via Shinkansen. I had spent the weekend there, mainly to attend an academic lunch meeting but also to sightsee and spend time with my friend who recently graduated from my school. As the bullet train sped through the country side, I noticed this strange balance of old and new. The people have a history that’s centuries old and hold on to their traditions of their ancestors. The people can live in modern day Tokyo, where shopping and electronics reign on the streets and where a bullet train can take them to historical Kyoto in only a few hours. The trains pass through the country, where even with a future driven outlook, are still on a cash based society. This balance of tradition and modern, a look to the future and a hold on the past, really defines a part of the Japanese society. As an American born Filipino, I hold on  to the customs that my mom passed onto me as well as the current traditions of American society. I was always fascinated by what the founding fathers had believed in freedom but also grimace at our slavery past. We learn from our mistakes and we must remember them in order to move forward. But I think there’s a difference in holding on to the past and staying in the mindset of the past. So my first true impression of Japan is that holding on to customs of the past as well as looking forward to the future helps shape the society as a whole.