Neighborhood Hirakata

Why did I actually choose to spend my last academic year in Japan? The answer is pretty easy: I was looking forward to experiencing international campus life in a culture far away from home. Kansai Gaidai suits my expectations very well. The reason which drew my attention to this University was its extraordinary study abroad program, officially known as Asian Studies Program. It gives me the possibility to experience Japanese culture both inside and outside of the courses I’m participating in. Furthermore the university’s unique location helped fix my decision. Kansai Gaidai Daigaku [i] is located in Hirakata City, which is in between Kyoto, Nara (Japan’s ancient capitals) and Osaka (second largest metropolis of the country) [ii]. Hirakata holds approximately 410.000 citizens within a domain of about 65 km². The city is famous for the Yodo river and Komatsu Osaka plant. The official website characterizes Hirakata as a university city [iii]. The municipal heads are working on a system that fosters and maintains good relations between the universities, students, and the local population [iv].

(Library and Multimedia Hall of KGU, borrowed from the website of the Asian Studies Program)

(Sunset over Yodo river)

I live in a place called Katahoko, across the east gate of Kansai Gaidai. I haven’t had the chance yet to observe my neighborhood very often, because recently I have spent most of my time travelling through the country or staying on the campus. At first sight there is nothing special about this area. But what I have indeed recognized on my daily trips to Kansai Gaidai is a big difference between resident-interactions on main streets and back alleys. The people in the lanes know each other, frequently chat with each other intimately and try to help those who need it [v]. However, there is one place constituting not only a meeting point for the Katahoko inhabitants, but also for the international students: a little park next to the central library. It would be interesting to focus my attention towards the interactions between the seminar house [vi] residents and the inhabitants and how they get along with one another. I will comment on this topic once in a while, as soon as I observe something interesting.

(View over the central library and the park in Katahoko)

(Viewpoint from a bridge next to the park)

Endnotes

[i] Japanese for University of Kansai Gaidai
[ii] This triangle is also called Kansai area
[iii] There are six universities
[iv] cf.: University city Hirakata
[v] cf.: Bestor, Theodore C. (1989): Neighborhood Tokyo, p. 23
[vi] This is where most of the international students live.

Recommended Reading

How to survive in Hirakata (as an alien)

Welcome to the strange new world…

This is my first time visiting the land of the rising sun [i]. Before coming here I just had some basic background about Japanese culture. Trying to be part of the society without in-depth knowledge or language skills makes it difficult, if not hopeless. Nevertheless, after two weeks I’m ready to share some early impressions from a gaijin [ii] perspective.

 

For those who haven’t experienced Japan before, I will try to focus on two common topics. The pictures above were both taken at Kiyomizu-Dera [iii]. The first one is showing a Japanese woman wearing a kimono. This wasn’t a rare occasion. Still many people are used to getting dressed in this traditional way. Although Japan is one of the global economic players and in many respects westernized, traditions and customs are still taken very seriously. To give an example: the golden rule in terms of behavior is to take your shoes off before entering a house, but believe me, that isn’t as easy as it sounds [iv]...

The second picture shows a bunch of kids with yellow hats. The dress code plays an important role in Japanese society. The uniform’s significance tells us much about the person wearing it. In this case the “yellow hats” are pupils. One advantage is that none of them is likely to get lost, but moreover the yellow color connects them as a group. Japanese people learn from a young age that living in the country’s society is only possible inside a certain group. That is the simplified reason why Japan is still being characterized with group-ism [v], while the neo-liberalistic spirit of individualism has captured the rest of the industrial powers [vi]. Hence, you can only experience the “Real Japan”, if you interact within a “network”, and not just by observing it from the “outside” [vii].

A concluding recommendation for gaijins and also non-gaijins: go and visit Kiyomizu-Dera in the cherry blossoms (spring) or maple leaves (autumn) season.

Endnotes


[i] Also known as Nihon (jp.: 日本)
[ii] People who are obviously not from Japan
[iii] A Buddhist Temple in Kyoto
[iv] For further instructions please look through the recommended reading
[v] Doi, Takeo (2002): The Anatomy of Self: The Individual Versus Society, p. 55
[vi] Though recent works are detecting a trend to individualism within new generations; f.e.: Sugimoto (2003): An Introduction to Japanese Society
[vii] cf.: Bestor, Theodore C. (2003): Inquisitive Observation: Following Networks in Urban Fieldwork, p. 315


Recommended Reading

Japanese Etiquette