Story of Kyoto and Kobe

Hello once again, everyone! Due to the long period of time since my previous posts, I decided to follow the most recent one up with another shortly afterward. In this post, I'll be talking about trips that I took earlier in the semester to Kyoto and Kobe!

The trip to Kyoto was sponsored by Kansai Gaidai as a part of their Experience Japan Program, giving students and opportunity to visit various areas in Japan as a part of groups. When I went to visit Kyoto, it was with a very small group composed of a friend, my speaking partner, and her friend. It was also my first time using the train system in Japan (and my second time on a train, ever) so it was very exciting!

Taking a picture of friends taking a picture on the train to Kyoto.

The ride was fairly smooth, though I was a bit intimidated by the speed of the train in motion. When we arrived in Kyoto, I was surprised by how beautiful the area was! The specific area that we visited was a fairly urban area with interestingly-style buildings, built near the famous Kamo River, looking a bit like New York City with a slight rural touch.

A view from a walkway near the Kamo River, in Kyoto.

After exploring the area's shopping districts for a short while, which consisted of various department stores and other shops, we stopped by a local okonomiyaki (a savory food created from flour and ingredients, often described as being like a vegetable pancake and literally meaning "what you like, fried") shop to have dinner, and it was delicious! I ordered a pork okonomiyaki, and we all shared some of the other choices, such as ika (squid), cheese and roe, and yakisoba (stir-fried noodles). The okonomiyaki shop had a very rustic and somewhat nostalgic feeling somewhat like old diners or steakhouses in America, with some old and very interesting advertisements posted on the walls.

Advertisements for Met's Cola and Kirin Beer on the walls.

Though I never learned its name, we also visited an old temple that was built in one of the now-more urban areas of Kyoto, my first time seeing a temple in Japan. It was a very beautiful place, with the various things one would usually see - statues, hanging decorations unique to the temple, and a place to wash one's hands outside the temple. It was interesting as a cultural experience to see for one's self what it looked like, and the care that was taken to preserve the place.

The inside of a temple in Kyoto.

Finally, it was time to leave Kyoto, though it felt a bit sad to do so - It was a very interesting place, one to which I have not had a chance to return due to my schedule (though I would certainly like to someday).

One last picture in Kyoto before returning to Hirakata-shi.

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Several weeks after leaving Kyoto, I went with some other friends to Kobe, the area of Japan known across the world for its famous beef. It was a bit surprising to me when I actually saw it, since the descriptions I had heard from others usually seemed to make it seem as though it were a small or otherwise rural town - it was definitely well-developed, and home to various large buildings and businesses.

In front of Sannomiya Station, upon arriving in the area.

The first place we visited upon our arrival was an area known as Nankin-machi, a China-town style area which was home to various decorations and stalls selling items particular to the China-town style, such as ramen stalls, places to buy meat-filled buns, and so on. The food was delicious, and the sights were very interesting! Statues of figures in the Chinese Zodiac surrounded a gazebo where patrons sat and enjoyed foods prepared in a Chinese style.

A gazebo in the central area of Nankin-machi, a Japanese China-town.

The area of Nankin-machi also featured various references to famous martial artists famous in China such as Bruce Lee, with statues and various products featuring his likeness within the area.

A statue of Bruce Lee in Nankin-machi.

As we explored more of the area of Kobe, we also came across a section which was home to a large number of European-style houses which were built many years in the past, standing in contrast to the rest of the buildings yet beautiful in their construction. For those who are familiar with the visual novel and anime series Fate/stay Night, it was also home to the building whose filtered image was used for the house of Tohsaka Rin. Mainly, it was interesting to see such a literal example of how Western culture stood among the residents of Japan, especially how similar it was - in some ways - to regular old homes one might see in America or Europe.

A Western-style house in Nankin-machi.

Before leaving to return to Hirakata-shi, my friends and I stopped by a local Starbucks Coffee, where I ordered a Matcha (Japanese green tea) Latte. We had a lot of fun, and made sure to make some good memories before we left!

Silliness ensues at Starbucks, as picture-taking commences.

When it was all over, I once again returned to Hirakata-shi, satisfied with the experience and even more excited to be living in Japan! While I knew that classes would make things more busy in the weeks to come, it was definitely nice to be able to take a break and enjoy time with great friends!

That's all for today's second post, and I hope you all enjoyed it! The next post will come relatively soon, so keep an eye out as ever for Kansai Gaidai Stories!

Story of the Campus and Classes

Hello, everyone! It's been a long time - I can't believe that it's been around 2 months already. My schedule has been surprisingly busy, with required readings, papers, and studying Japanese taking up much of my time. Throughout the rest of the time, I mostly took time to rest, and also to visit some interesting locations.

On that note, it's past time for a new blog post, so here it is:

In the last post, I discussed the process of moving into my Seminar House, a local grocery store that's close to the Seminar Houses and the Kansai Gaidai campus, and an electronics store to visit when searching for forgotten or otherwise-necessary adapters, etc. These were all very helpful things to know for me, but now I'll focus on the college aspect.

The campus itself is a very beautiful place, consisting of various buildings and walkways which are surrounded by lush greenery. A large fountain sits in one corner of the central area of campus, and various trees change colors beautifully during the Fall semester.

An aerial view of campus from one of its tall buildings.

Another beautiful aspect of the campus is its Japanese Gardens, situated behind the Center for International Education (which I will mention shortly). The gardens are a very peaceful place to relax after classes, with a few benches, a pond with a small bridge, and other features.

A view of the pond, a statue, and various plants in the Japanese Gardens.

During the first period of time at Kansai Gaidai, there is a series of Orientation events that introduce you to various aspects of campus life, including the bookstore, the convenience store, and so on. Many of the events center around a particular building - the Center for International Education (CIE), where all Japanese language courses - and some lecture courses - take place.

The Center for International Education (pictured on left).

The Center for International Education is home not only to Japanese courses, the core of the Asian Studies Program, but also houses a large staff to assist with students' questions, concerns, payments, and so on. In addition, there is a Language Lab where students can - and often are required to - complete voice-based Japanese assignments such as simple speech practice and responses.

A written reminder to use the Language Lab for academic purposes.

Another one of the most frequented buildings on campus is the North Cafeteria. While other cafeterias exist on campus, this one is the largest and definitely the most popular among Kansai Gaidai students as a meeting place and eatery. Several dishes exist here, such as ramen and udon dishes, various types of sets with meat or vegetables over rice (-don, such as katsudon, which is fried pork cutlet), and cheaper options of curry rice and hashed rice. Everything at the cafeteria was delicious for me, and it was hard to choose for quite a long time - However, to those first visiting Kansai Gaidai, I highly recommend the kara-age don (fried chicken over rice), which comes with miso soup. There are also often lunch specials which vary from day to day and week to week, offering a nice amount of variety!

One of the lunch specials, consisting of fried chicken with vegetables and various sides.

For those who are interested in more American fare, there is also a McDonald's on campus, offering regular menu items found in other countries as well as various Japan-only specials such as the Teriyaki McBurger, Shaka-Shaka Chicken, and the Mega Potato (also known as the Share Fry, if I remember correctly).

The Mega Potato, resting on a tray lined with an advertisement for McDonald's chicken.

Connected to the McDonald's is a Seattle's Best Coffee, offering all of the main varieties of coffee to be found in the United States while also offering some delicious variations such as the Matcha (Japanese green tea) JavaKula or latte. For those who are daring and want an extra kick of caffeine, a secret menu item called the Summer Captain also exists and is not present on any menus. The Summer Captain is composed of 3 shots of espresso with some milk over ice, and was invented by Mark Tracy, the Director of the Asian Studies Program through an odd series of events.

Many students signed up for lecture courses at Kansai Gaidai will have a classroom in Building 7, a building whose construction was being finalized only briefly into the Fall 2013 semester. It boasts a large number of classrooms, a large staff ready to assist students with various issues related to their coursework, and a sturdy yet transparent glass exterior. In this building is also a surprising amount of natural features, such as an open area in the center just outside the glass walls, home to various plant life.

A view from the inside of Building 7, exhibiting its glass walls and plant life.

Though I have been very late in posting, I would also like to discuss the classes that I have been taking this semester. I am currently taking Shojo Studies, Anime: Method and Meaning, The Relation of Life and Fiction in Modern Japanese Literature, a Spoken Japanese course, and a Reading and Writing Japanese course.

While I have had great difficulties from time to time in learning Japanese, I must stress that this is mainly connected to a bit of a bad memory for vocabulary on my part - The professors are actually very good at teaching the material, and I have been able to learn a great deal within one semester. Naito-sensei teaches Spoken Japanese 1, and her teaching style is fairly straightforward, consisting of speaking practices, vocabulary memorization, and workbook pages relevant to the material at hand. Likewise, for Reading and Writing Japanese, Uenaka-sensei and Muroi-sensei (2 professors, due to the large number of people), these two professors are very good at what they do, though grading might be a bit harsh on quizzes and tests.

Two of my other courses - The Life and Fiction course and the Anime course - are taught by Professor Berry, a native English speaker who has a great interest and passion for animation in film and serial works, Japanese literature, and film as a focus of study. While his paper assignments are somewhat difficult to approach, they are fairly straightforward upon writing and ensure that students are working to the best of their ability.

My last professor is Sugawa-sensei, who teaches the Shojo Studies course. Her style of teaching is a bit hard to describe, since it mostly relies on visual aids such as PowerPoint and video clips while also incorporating group discussion of various critical literary articles regarding Shojo studies in general. Those taking her course must ensure that they keep a close track of the materials posted online through Kansai Gaidai's online class management system, but it is not too difficult and is certainly interesting.

I hope that this description is able to help those who are planning to study abroad at Kansai Gaidai, and I look forward to seeing your reactions. Please look forward to more (timely, this time) Kansai Gaidai stories!