Neighborhood Hirakata Koen

The one thing you can't miss when you step away from the Hirakata-Koen (Hirakata Park) train station would be the enormous ferris wheel, a trademark of this local amusement park. This neighborhood consists of a small area with a pachinko (an arcade center) and a few convenience stores, and a main road which eventually leads to bustling downtown Hirakata City. Yet by taking a few steps into one of the side streets, this lively scene transforms into a serene residential area. It would be hard to believe that such a quiet neighborhood still exist so close to a busy commuter center.

One month has already flown by since my arrival to Japan, and by observing daily life here on my commute to school, and a few opportunities to get to know the natives of this area of Hirakata, I am beginning to see bits of the Japanese lifestyle unfold before my eyes. These include, but are not limited to, how much safer this neighborhood is than the one in the United States and the sense of community and care neighbors have for one another.

This curve in the road may seem very ordinary, but I pass by this curve on my way home from Kansai Gaidai every evening. Early evening, after the sun sets, students walk their bikes up this hill from jukku (cram school), where they receive additional education beyond their school hours, and mothers carry their groceries home. During my first week here, a group of friends and I chatted by a nearby local park. Though it was past dark, young children blissfully played nearby, under a close eye of their parents. This was a sight to behold since back in the United States, children usually return home before dark. When I recounted this tale to my Japanese professor and also to my host parents, they agreed that though some areas could be more abunai (dangerous) than others, Japan was a safe country.

This following picture may seem a bit odd, but I feel that it exemplifies (at least conceptually) the idea of community. This picture is also taken on my walk to the local bus stop. It's a popular spot for crows and other birds to rest on the power lines...and excrete onto the sidewalk below. It is the only place that I've seen in my area, thus far, where many birds gather in one place. This past month, I was invited to an event with my host mother. She was eager to introduce me to her co-workers, whom she also regarded as good friends. As we engaged in conversation with each other, by the way they joked around with each other and shared stories about their families, and other topics, it was unmistakable that their bonds with each other were far beyond just work buddies. They asked each other heartfelt questions, and one person even brought her recent harvest from her garden to divide them among her co-workers. One teacher was recently diagnosed with the H1N1 virus (better known as the colloquial 'swine flu') and all the teachers stayed late in order to finish errands at school and made sure to check in on the teacher's health. However limited my experiences may be, I am eager to see how else the community cares for each other. The elementary school has a sports festival coming up. Perhaps everyone in the neighborhood will join in on the festivities!