Observations from the Foreigner

You will notice that in the next couple uploads of pictures on facebook that Hirakata City is a very weird mix of things. It is both traditional and modern. It is both suburbs and city. Just walking to campus I pass a lot of traditional style houses with the garden in the front and the main gates and things, but then their neighbor might have a Western style house. And then THEIR neighbor might have a Spanish/Mexican style house. It is a little weird, but I guess that is a representation of this area as a whole. Hirakata is between Osaka, a modern business hub slightly smaller than Tokyo, and Nara and Kyoto which are more suburb and traditional. The area where the seminar houses are is suburbs, but when you walk past the school over the bridge I pictured in the last post it all becomes city. It's very cool.

Second observation: walking anywhere in Japan is dangerous. On the off chance that there is a sidewalk.. walk on it and you may find yourself subject to the crazy school aged kids on bikes that don't ring their bell to tell you to move over for them xD... If there isn't a sidewalk you must keep to the side of the road and a one lane road in the US is a two lane road here WITH a dotted white line on it for people to walk on. Very dangerous if the drivers are not paying attention. I'm walking with caution but there isn't much that a pedestrian can do... >_>

People are very friendly in this area of Japan. Even if they don't speak English they are try their best to understand you and say hello. Andra, me and our friend Andrew were in Hirakata city and wa trying to figure out the bus system and this ..maybe middle school girl came over and tried to help us. We didn't end up getting on the bus anyway but it was still nice. On the way to school we all walk by the Komatsu plant, which is like a factory for tractors and construction equipment, and the gate guards always say good morning and good night.

Sometimes we come across these random Buddhist or Shinto shrines and statues across the city.. and they are usually next to very modern things.. look out for my pictures and you'll see what I mean.