For the Children

Every neighborhood has its own personality and charm, telling a great deal about the individuals that live within them.  Mine is a half hour from Hirakatashi-eki by bus and varies from cramped houses to rice fields to ostentatious mansions one would consider large even by American standards.  However, the over-arching theme seemed to be centered around children.

My bus stop is next to a local park, which is mainly sand and gravel, but with a number of climbing structures and see-saws that host both elementary-and-middle-school-aged children, depending on the time of day.  It's across the street from an elementary school, which is full of children eager to learn English--and aren't afraid to trap a couple of foreigners for upwards of an hour with questions and insisting that the two must be dating.

Welcoming and eager, if not more than slightly intimidating.

Biting Leaves a Negative Impression

Entering Japan was different from entering England or Russia or even Hawaii.  It had a climate all its own--or at least unique to past experiences.  Friends who had traveled to Japan before warned of the god-awful heat and humidity of summer, the brief reprieve of fall and then the god-awful cold of winter.

Humidity and I haven't gotten along in the past, but we've worked out our differences.

It's the mosquitoes now that need to learn their place.  I haven't been bite-free since going through customs.  I heard another student say recently that they're going to get Malaria with all the bites they've gotten.

Beyond that, I was impressed with the simplicity of Japan.

Security guards in America sit in closed rooms watching TV screens for any abnormalities, or they sit behind a desk observing rather than interacting with anyone.  The guards here interact with society, greeting passersby on the street and keeping a watchful eye over who comes and goes.  Greeting the campus gate guards in the morning and evening has become a rather enjoyable routine.

Public transport, its reliability and its prevalence were definitely the largest delight.  In California, specifically San Jose, buses are the main transit, and they only run at certain times on certain days.  If it's Sunday, you can't get anywhere.  Transit here is on time and has many, many options.  It's convenient.

The people simply follow an older way of life.  They don't rely on technology to a fault.  They enjoy themselves.

I hope to see the effects of this enjoyment as the semester continues.