Portrait of a Japanese Person

わたしの日本語の戦士がいます。おなまえのせんしわたかやしきです。

Just trying out my Japanese here. This is my Japanese language professor, Takayashiki sensei.
My Japanese is still at a beginner level so I was not confident in taking a picture of the Japanese people that I see everyday near the seminar house. So it was nice to have him for my blog portrait. Unlike most of the Japanese here in the area, Takayashiki is from Sapporo, Hokkaido. So usually, he always brings up festivals, food, and references of his hometown during class and he really wants us to visit Hokkaido if we can. I have been very intrigued in visiting since then but I honestly don't think I'll have the chance, with the lack of  money and time for it.

While he is our teacher, his personality in the classroom emanates that he's like many Japanese people that I've met. With the culture of Japan, Japanese people have a different lifestyle compared to the rest of the world and have their own unique characteristics that only those who have experienced the Japanese culture can relate to. Most Japanese commute to work or school in a number of ways. For Takayashiki sensei, and what I would assume most working Japanese people would do, is take a bus or bike to the train station, reach their station, and take a bus to their final stop. Public transportation, especially trains, play a big role in Japanese life because without the trains, people would either take great lengths to reach their destination or not bother leaving. For lunch, many places such as Lawsons or  7/11 have bento, or premade meals ready to eat after heating up. Sometimes, they may have had time to make food from home and bring it in their own bento.

After work or class, it's normal for friends to go out and relax after a long day of work or school. Karaoke or drinking at an izakaya, a Japanese style bar, would be normal on a weeknight and much more populated on the weekends.
While there is the lifestyle that the Japanese share, the Japanese people themselves are very different comparing to Americans. The most endearing thing is their response to foreigners. I've experienced some Japanese people who are frustrated when foreigners cannot understand them, even to the point where they don't want to deal with "gaijin". But for the most part, if foreigners can make an effort to communicate in Japanese, they seem to respond positively and kindly towards them. It may be broken Japanese and it probably could be incorrect but their response is more positive than when foreigners try to speak english in America. I'm not saying that all Americans respond negatively, but it is a stereotype that Americans don't like people who cannot speak english as fluently as them.
The Japanese person is the same as any other person in the world. They are influenced by other cultures but still identify with being Japanese.

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.