My neighborhood in Hirakata is the area immediately around the seminar house where I live. It’s a very quiet neighborhood with several houses and apartments packed closely together like I described in my previous post. This first photo is a shot of one of the nearby apartment complexes that I pass every morning on my way to school. Two parts of the photo that I would like to point out are the bicycles and the laundry that can be seen hanging out on the porch of one of the second story rooms. First, although cars are still commonly used I see more locals riding bicycles and taking the bus, at least in my neighborhood. Japan has a much more expansive and efficient public transportation system than most cities in the United States, so I find the transportation system here interesting. With so many bicycles equipped with baskets for storage, bus stops spaced fairly close together, and trains that can take you to just about any city in Japan that you want to go to, there is hardly a need to own a car. In fact I find it nice to see that even older women still get out on their bicycles in order to go get their groceries. Second, my Japanese friends have told me that many homes in Japan do not have dryers, so it is common for people to hang their laundry outside to dry. Even in the seminar house—although we do have dryers—we have the option of hanging our clothes out on the roof. Another factor I believe is that the Japanese are very conscious of preserving the environment. For example, trash is sorted into different recyclable and burnable categories, at least the seminar houses have water conserving showers, and streets and other public areas are periodically cleaned. If they decide to hang their laundry to dry in place of using a drying machine, it conserves energy.
As I mentioned already, the neighborhood is usually peaceful and quiet. In the morning I see some Japanese locals walking or riding bicycles, some perhaps heading out to do or returning from doing errands while others in formal suits are clearly off to a day of work. Then in the afternoon, I tend to encounter more foreigners than I do Japanese locals, yet around 5:00pm is when the area really begins to liven up. I often see people of the younger generation walking around with friends and those a little older taking a walk in the park with their dog or watching over their children play in the park, although I sometimes see children playing together by themselves. This second photo shown above is taken at the park just outside of my seminar house. I like it because the few houses in the background give a sense of what the area looks like in appearance, while the two women walking on the park pathway reveal how many of my neighbors enjoy spending part of their evenings. In addition the less noticeable details such as the bicycle or the large round mirrors behind it to assist visibility around street corners give further clues into the lifestyle present in the neighborhood.
This final photo is of one of my neighbors and his dog. I was surprised to see that many of my neighbors own rather large dogs, since I was under the impression that most owned smaller dogs due to the smaller homes they live in. This neighbor told me that he gets out in order to walk his dog twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. He is very kind; he greets me and my friends whenever I see him and stops to let kids and adults alike pet his massive cuddly looking friend, who at first sight I thought could be likened to a small polar bear.
