1. Things are Small in Japan

    Photos from around Hirakata.

    Restaurants are very small. A lot of the ones I’ve been to have only 2-3 tables to sit at.

    The sidewalk you see here is an exception to the rule; Japanese sidewalks are either very small or nonexistent. The road you see to the right is a very highly trafficked road, something that would normally be 2-3 times larger in America.

    Japanese cars are very small. These are two Japanese Kei cars next to a Mazda 3, for size comparison.

    I tried to capture the elusive fox bus yesterday, but it was a little too quick for me. All the school buses I’ve seen in Japan are brightly pastel colored and shaped like animals. This is one I’ve seen a couple times around Kansai Gaidai. It’s pink and shaped like a fox, complete with ears and tail.

  2. On Top of Hirakata

    Recently while I was walking around town I got a chance to run up the exterior flight of stairs on a Japanese apartment building and take a few photos of Hirakata city. I’m still not sure whether I was allowed to be there, but you can take it as a good sign that I’m not writing this from a Japanese prison.

  3. Photos from Earlier

    Earlier as in before I left for Japan.

  4. More Photos from around Kansai Gaidai


    The tall building is Kansai Gaidai’s main administration building. The glass building in the foreground is one of the dining halls.


    A view of the campus from farther away.


    On average, streets in Japan are much smaller than their American counterparts.


    Spotted this in an alleyway in Hirakata.

  5. Japanese Things

    1. Japanese power plugs are 100% compatible with American ones, except they don’t allow a third prong.
    2. Everybody bikes here. And even though I have yet to see a bike lane, while walking down the street I’m continually passed by bicyclists, from young children to women wearing kimonos to elderly people. And there is almost no variation in their bikes. Just about every bicycle I’ve seen in Japan looks like this:
    3. The first day of school is Monday, September 6. Before that, we go through orientation week where we take placement exams, fill out forms, and do other generally boring stuff.
    4. I move in with my host family this Sunday. I still don’t even know who they are. I think I find out in the next couple of days.