Story of Preparation

Hello! Thank you all, once again, for reading - While the previous posts have been about my journey to Hirakata-shi, this post will finally begin describing the main thing you have all been waiting for, a selection of my experiences in Japan and some helpful information. It has been a while between posts, but I thank you all for being patient and bearing with it!

Last time, I left off by mentioning how to take a bus from Hirakata-shi Station to the area near the Seminar Houses, which I did on the morning after staying the night at the Hirakata Sun Plaza Hotel. From there, it was a fairly short walk through the rain to Seminar House II, which is somewhat oddly positioned at the bottom of a hilly area and around a corner street, though it becomes easy to find once you've learned the way. When I arrived, I wasn't actually sure if it was the correct Seminar House, which had me worried a bit - A decoration on the inside, however, helped in confirming my location.

A decoration welcoming residents to Seminar House II.

Something which has still been a bit strange getting used to was the customary action upon entering any Japanese-style home - Directly upon entry, I noticed a set of cubby holes for shoes, where I was directed to take off my shoes and put on a pair of slippers designated for visitors (or first-time entrants to the Seminar House). I've never actually worn slippers before, at least not that I can remember, so it was a strange feeling wearing them, though definitely not an uncomfortable one.

The shoe cubby/shoe locker at Seminar House II.

From there, I met several new people with whom I would be spending the rest of the semester, and they are all pretty great people! While I was naively expecting the students to just be Japanese natives or American transfer students, there were also many international students from other countries as well, such as Germany, Korea, France, and other locations of the world! It's definitely been an interesting experience meeting all of them!

Friends from Japan, the UK, and America gathered in the TV Lounge.

After checking out the bottom floor of the Seminar House, I went up to my room to unpack my clothes and other luggage. The room is a fairly small yet cozy space with an adjustable air conditioning unit, something for which I am very thankful! The weather in Hirakata-shi was surprisingly humid on the day I arrived, being around 4 or 5 times as humid as I had been used to in Florida, so it was difficult for me to deal with at first. The floors are comprised of tatami mats, and 2-3 futons (depending on the number of residents) are placed for bedding. A shoji separates the main sleeping area from a small space with computer desks, as well as the door to the balcony.

My room in Seminar House II, where my roommate, is currently at work at his computer.

There is also a great view from the balcony, which overlooks a large portion of the Katahoko neighborhood within Hirakata-shi. From this particular room, the view is usually comprised of the tops of buildings and some natural features, yet by looking at a particular angle, some mountains can be seen in the distance.

A view of the Katahoko neighborhood from Seminar House II.

After getting settled into my room, I decided to go downstairs and meet some more people, who decided to visit a local supermarket between the Seminar House and the Kansai Gaidai University campus. The walk to this supermarket, named Top World, is about 20 to 30 minutes, with the campus being an additional 10 to 15 minutes of additional distance. While there are a variety of supermarkets in the area, Top World offers one of the better selections for a fair price, and was the first that I visited during my time so far. Fresco and Sanko are also nearby supermarkets, offering a little less variety but somewhat better prices.

Something of great importance to note is that students are not allowed to use kitchen facilities for regular cooking until the orientation period has ended. This means that food items such as pre-prepared obento and instant rice are essential to surviving the first week at the Seminar House. Other foods, such as curry and sauce for hashed rice, are also available in pre-made, microwaveable packs - these are very convenient, and do not sacrifice taste for the sake of convenience.

A down-the-aisles view of Top World, focusing on its vegetable section.

The next day, after buying necessary food products in preparation for the orientation week, I decided to go on a trip to a local electronics store with a few friends in order to buy something I had neglected to bring with me (the proper kind, at least) - A power converter. For many smaller devices, this may be unnecessary; however, in Japan, all devices are made to draw power from an electrical outlet with 2-prong openings. By taking the path to Top World and continuing on farther down the same road and going straight, I made it to a store called Edion which sold a very large variety of goods, including many modern and antiquated electrical devices, video games, and even anime posters!

An electrical converter for using 3-prong devices in a Japanese power outlet.

Having access to this information is something that I believe will help future Kansai Gaidai students immensely - If there's anyone who is interested in more specific details, feel free to e-mail me at jkaltmix@gmail.com. That's all for today - look forward to the next post, where I'll be talking about my time so far in classes at the main campus, as well as other Kansai Gaidai Stories!

Story of Arrival

Hello! First off, I would like to apologize to you all for not posting sooner - It's been very busy lately since my arrival in Japan, and I have been filling out forms, attending mandatory events, buying necessary materials, etc. I have, however, had plenty of time to gather information for the blog! In this post, I will cover a few different areas which have seemed to be of great importance to me in the first few days of travel.

First off, I would like to mention a few things about American Airlines. When I flew from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Narita Airport, I took an American Airlines jet. American Airlines, despite my previous worries, has proven to be a very good carrier, one which I would highly recommend for international flights. Because of the length of the flight, there was a variety of in-flight entertainment options including popular (and new) films, video games, and music available for free. There were even 3 small meals offered during my particular trip, something of which I was not actually aware until I actually boarded. They were fairly high quality, and drinks were provided generously as well. Upon arrival in Narita, I disembarked from the plane feeling satisfied with my flight and very excited to be in Japan!

A display at Narita Airport, making visitors feel very welcome.

One thing which may be an issue for travelers is the waiting period - After picking up baggage (if necessary) and going to the next area, international visitors must fill out a form in order to go through the initial line, and must eventually visit Customs. This initially seemed like a terrible problem for me, as I was pressed for time, but the workers at Narita Airport are actually very accomodating for those asking for assistance, and may move you ahead to a priority line if necessary, as was my case! This may not always be an option, however, so it's important to leave plenty of time for the connecting flight/bus/etc. The trip through Customs was very short, lasting around 2 to 3 minutes for my experience. For departure, Narita Airport also has a limousine bus service to local areas as well as Haneda Airport for a fee of ¥3000 (around $30).

The relevant forms for entry into Japan, sitting atop a good book.

The process for boarding other airplanes and getting to the destination was fairly simple from my initial point of landing in Japan, much like flight in the United States, so there were no problems to be found. By the time I made it to Hirakata-shi, Osaka, I was alone but not frightened - That's what was most important to me in being an international traveler.

After arrival at the Laporte Hirakata, near Hirakata-shi Station, I walked around 6-7 blocks to the Hirakata Sun Plaza Hotel, one which was close and highly recommended to me for international students planning to eventually study at Kansai Gaidai University. The price was very affordable at a low cost of ¥7000 yen (around $70), though it was somewhat difficult to find the entrance to the hotel since the front desk is actually located on the second floor! The hotel was fairly nice, though the rooms were a bit small in comparison to those in most American hotels. It also provided a breakfast service for the morning at a mere ¥500 when paid up front (or ¥550 in the morning).

The breakfast includes ham, salad, fruit, bread, and other interesting items.

After waking up and having breakfast at the hotel, I walked over to the station to check the bus schedule, and this is where I found an important tip for those traveling to Japan - Make sure that one of the following is the case if you plan to take a bus:

1. You know Japanese very well and can read the bus timetable.
2. You are with a friend, preferably someone from Japan, who is very familiar with Japanese.
3. You have already checked the schedule and verified it with an English-speaking local.

The bus schedules are entirely in Japanese, with no English listed, so it is very easy to get lost if you are not careful!

A view of the area surrounding Hirakata-shi Station, with the bus schedule visible on the left.

For those traveling to Kansai Gaidai University, the method I found was to take bus number 12 or 13 - These follow a route which stops near the university, and eventually continue to stops near the Seminar House locations.

The next post will cover more of my experience so far, including the location of an excellent supermarket, the check-in process at Kansai Gaidai, and other Kansai Gaidai Stories!