Masako Rocks!

Masako listening to some music, as usual. 

These pictures offer a portrait of my friend Masako.  Masako is a first year student at Kansai Gaidai who is originally from Kagawa.  She is currently studying English with hopes of studying abroad in America or Canada in the near future.  Her biggest interest is undoubtedly music, which is actually how I met her. I heard her playing music and we compared our iTunes libraries. She is always listening to music whether it’s through her headphones or exchanging favorite songs and CD’s with international students. She chose these two pictures for her portrait because she felt that they embodied her love of music and captured her attitude.  She likes many types of music, but holds rock and roll in much higher esteem than the rest.  Her favorite bands include groups such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Sum 41, Blink 182, and above all Avril Lavigne. She often attends concerts in Osaka and even travels several hours away to other cities to see her favorite bands when they come to Japan. Masako insists that the best concert she has ever been to was when she saw an Avril Lavigne concert a few years ago, and cannot wait to see her again when she comes to Osaka this February.  As noticeable in the pictures, her clothing and sense of style certainly emulate Avril Lavigne and she indubitably has a similar type of rock attitude.  In these pictures I aimed to capture this style and aura to truly reflect Masako’s personality.  We chose the first picture because we thought it captured her love of music with the use of the headphones and her facial expression really shows her kind side.  Masako thought the second one was even better noting that it captured her Rock inspired attitude as she threw up the rock and roll symbol on her hand while blasting songs by Sum 41.  In doing this portrait with Masako I learned so much about music and the Rock scene in Osaka, as Masako’s knowledge in this area seems unparalleled. 

Masako Rocking out to Fat Lip by Sum 41.

A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

This small shrine is located only about 100 meters from my house and I pass it everyday on the way to school.

This is one of my favorite parks which offers beautiful views and great people watching opportunities only a few minutes from seminar house 3.

This past month I have been living in the neighborhood of Katahokohigashimachi, in Hirakata, Osaka.  This is the neighborhood in which my seminar house is located, and although the seminar house does result in some separation from the surrounding area, it has not been enough to hide the small beauties and nuances of this area from me.  This neighborhood is filled with families and small but beautiful houses. The thing that has most captured me about Katahokohigashimachi is the small parks and shrines that are located throughout the area. In the pictures above I have included images of a couple of my favorite parks and shrines that I have stumbled upon in the past month. This is undoubtedly a lively and family friendly neighborhood characterized by small shops and children playing or biking in the street, but it is in these parks and shrines that I feel I have gotten the best impression of the neighborhood.   These areas are almost always filled with young children playing sports or sitting eating sweets and they are always excited to see foreigners and practice what little English they know as I am walking past. Simple “hellos” and “bye-byes” greet me and follow me on my walks through the parks and even those who know no English are always friendly and offer up an “ohaiyo gozaimas” or “kanbanwa” as I pass.  Additionally the amount of families doing things together is stunning.  Every time I pass the park I pictured above there are fathers pitching wiffle balls to their young children or family cookouts or mothers guiding young children on their tiny bicycles.   This is something  so different from my home neighborhood where interfamily relations are rarely seen outside someone’s  own house or yard.  This has given me the distinct impression that this is a small, closely knit neighborhood, with friendly and outgoing people and this has really challenged my preconceptions of Japan as a very private if not sheltered society.

Impressions of Japan.

Since arriving in Japan a little over two weeks ago my impressions have been mixed. The only thing I really have to compare with this semester in Japan is the week I spent in Tokyo last fall. And although there are some similarities there are mostly major differences. The biggest of which I have noticed was the way the people treated me.  In Tokyo I was simply another six foot two inch white tourist; and interesting sight or fun opportunity with which to practice one's English. In Hirakata-shi and Osaka however my welcome has been much different. Although I do get the occasional "hello" and I get answered politely when  I bid someone good morning or good evening, I have also come across many more people who are less accepting. Where Tokyo was a fun touristy experience with very little downside, Hirakata-shi has offered quite a few challenges.  The most notable of which is several restaurants that refuse to serve gaijin when there are Japanese clientele inside. They are happy to take our money late at night after the locals have eaten and left, but at regular dinner hours the restaurants will turn us away saying "full up" even if its visibly empty. This was very frustrating at first by still understandable. There have been many positive experiences with many locals in Hirakata-shi however, with students at the University who are eager to meet anyone and make friends and locals who are entertained by our different appearances and want to take pictures with us or even take us out with them.  I made friends with several Kansai Gaidai students who took me to their favorite local Karoke spot.  A gesture that made up for the disappointment and embarrassment I had felt at being discriminated against at some local restaurents.  In the end my experiences in Japan have been mixed between good and bad, but with the help of my friends Tsuyoshi, Soma, and Koki it has been an overall good experience.

This picture above is the corner one on the Restaurants I tried to get into in Osaka

                                        

Koki and Tsuyoshi giving me a cultural lesson on Karoke