What has changed?

My thoughts on the roads here have changed a lot since I have spent so much time on them. I first thought they were too narrow and too difficult, but as I said in an earlier blog the people seem to be very considerate of others and it is really quite easy to commute around the towns on bikes, in cars, walking, or however you are going to your destination. The whole time I have been here I still have not seen one accident. I have seen where an accident has happened but never witnessed one. That is very good because in Utah I see them at least once a week.That is where the roads are twice as wide the cars are sometimes three to six times bigger that the average ones here. I think because the roads are so narrow it makes people better drivers because they have to focus constantly because there is no room for an error. if you swerve you could run into a house or a person or into a ditch that may consume the whole car. I bike around all the time now and I am never worried about being hit by a car. I figure as long as I obey the rules and use common sense I will not get hit.

I have also changed my opinion about what crowded really is. When I took this picture I remember thinking how many people were there. If you look at the picture you can see huge spaces all over. I know many people are polite and will avoid being in your picture but as you can see the space is too wide for that to have been going on. So what I thought was crowded is nothing to what I think is crowded now. For example if I have to stand on the train because all the seats are full that is not crowded it just means there are people on the train. BUT if I have to stand on the train and I have to spoon with some older lady that may be a little too crowded. I can always tell when a place is too crowded by the fact that there always seems to be an older woman to lean on me and rest like I am a wall. I find it very interesting! If I am sitting they normally don't sit by me unless there is only one seat, but if it is standing time it doesn't really matter how much space is on the train they seem to lean against me. That is now my "If it is crowded or not" gauge.

I am finally ok with the wildlife in Japan!

First off I had a really hard time getting used to how different the animalls are around Japan. I first met this husband and wife in Tennouji. The male's name is Hiroshi and the woman's name is Haruhi. We quickly became friends having a similar interest in foods and humor. They too are foreigners which is another thing we could talk about. They find living in Japan a little strange as many people want to have photos with them for no reason other than to take a picture with some strange characters. I relate to that very much.

I thought it was a little hard to get used to the transportation in Japan at first because if you aren't taking the normal cars, bus, bike, or train than you are stuck with the remaining option. A slow and not so comfortable ride by Zousan. Zousan is happy as long as you don't kick him and give him some treats. Right now you can see he is raising his trunk to see how hot it will be and if he should drink more water before we leave the shade. Zousan is no dummy!

Dogs are a common pet in Japan. There aren't normally ones big enough for full grown foreign males to sit on, but I managed to find one.

I have also gotten used to watching where I am walking. This is a little kamesan that I found pretty far away from water. I was really surprised that I did not step on him. I actually thought it was a toy, but it was the real deal. since my being more careful with my walking I find all kinds of weird things now. It seems that people love to lose strange items all over the paths that I travel.

<----Lastly I got used to this guy. His name is Kabasan and he is another foreigner. In his homeland he was very territorial but here in Japan he has learned how to get along with people and even give rides for a living. In his homeland, he told me that "if someone tried to jump on my back I would have bite them in half. The Japanese people have really taught me how to control my anger". I was surprised to hear him say that but grateful because I needed a ride to the hotel.

This whole time in Japan has taught me many weird and wonderful things about myself and others. I think I will really miss all my new friends when I HAVE TO return to Utah. I will come back to Japan as soon as possible though!

More trouble in Japan

Wherever I go in Japan I always see somethingabout kidnapping or chikans. Around my neighborhood I always see little yellow flags with a scared big headed kid on it. The meaning of the flag is the owner of that house is willing to help people in need. The reason I chose this is because of the police involvement with this situation. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080424p2a00m0na024000c.html This is a link to a site showing how recently in Tokyo two men were arrested for kidnapping and they were caught and are now going to be serving life sentences. Another case in Nagoya http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080503p2a00m0na006000c.html is a little strange to me. I can't believe this still happens. But a woman was trying to help someone and he tried to kidnap her at knife point. I am not sure how people can do that in day time but I think there needs to be more people willing to help. Even though the posts are up saying people will help I still haven't heard about how someone actually stopped people from getting hurt or anything.

This picture was taken in a train station in Kyoto. I think it is crazy to see that they are cartoon drawings of such a serious problem. The only reason I noticed it was because my friend and I happen to stop right by it and I have a little attention span so I was looking at everything I could on my break from walking. If I hadn't stopeed though I would never have paid attention to a cartoon and consider it to be some important message. I am really curious of how many people pay attention to these warnings because of how they are displayed. This site(http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6DE1139F933A1575AC0A961948260) says that 95 % of kidnappers are caught. But I didn't see how many kidnappings actually occur. There are not many for ransom though.

Clubs and circles in Japanese schools. Make yourself some friends!

Here is a look at club recruitment day. It is Sunday, but looks as busy as or even busier than a normal school day at Kansai. Clubs and circles are a little different from one another by clubs being a little more strict on their rules and circles are more linient. Club recruitment day is about showing people the different types of clubs or circles they can enter. A lot of them are free other than you may need to buy some clothes to train in or what not. So it is an easy way to make yourself some friends!

Foreign students are welcome to join clubs but they are treated a little different from Japanese Kansai students. An example of this is when I was asked today to join the track and field circle I asked what days they trained. They said "Everyday except Thursday and Sunday, but since you are a foreign student you can come when you want to." I like that schedule!

The real point of the clubs though is to bring people together and to teach them about working together.Of course there are clubs that will really train you too. It depends on what you are into. At least this is what I have learned from being in a circle. It is really just a interesting way to meet people in my opinion. One club today that wanted me to join said I could just come and talk with people and not even do what they were training for. Another said I could join the club and just go and drink with them.

Martial arts clubs are more strict with training. Again though they still hang out with each other outside of the training rooms.

I went around and asked peeople why they join the clubs and their first answer is to make friends and be social. Because your friends don't come with you from high school it is an easy way to be social with people and not be intrusive. It makes for a more enriching college experience.

Some sports in Japan

Skateboarding in Japan is not as popular as I thought it would be, but it is still here and you can often see people skateboarding in certain places. Skateboarding in Japan is even more difficult than in America. There are too many people out in the day time and at night places are limited with good lighting. Because skateboading is loud it is also harder to do at night. Sound travels through the neighborhoods so people are more likely to call the police or come out themselves and ask you to stop making so much noise.

There are skateparks in Japan, but mostly in the bigger cities and they are mostly in wharehouses at least according to Steve Cave at http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/sk8inJapan.htm.

A real big problem with skateboarding becoming popular here is the price of the boards, shoes, and anything else you want for skating are extremely expensive. From the stores I have been to things are generally twice as much as in America. Some of the shoe prices are almost three times as much, which puts them around 160 dollars. Shoes don't last long skateboarding and most people can't afford to get new ones at that price as often as you would need them.

If you skateboard in Japan be careful and mind the other people. The best itme is really at night and near larger train stations. Trains will cover the noise and the area should be well lit.

Soccer is a very popular sport in Japan. It is a good sport because everyone can play and you can play all over. You are always able to find a park near where you are in Japan. It is not as popular as baseball, but more people are involved in playing soccer not just watching. From the people I have talked to it seems that women are only a little less interested than men in this sport. This is very different from America where NOBODY seems to be interested in soccer. In Japan they know American Soccer teams and players names. Of course they know other countries teams as well and their own teams.

Christianity, its all good

This is a picture I took while strolling around waiting to see a movie in Shinjo, Kyoto around March 27th or so. I was actually very surprised to see this there. I was aware there were Christians in Japan but up to this point I had not seen anything relating to Christianity. Here is a link to a brief history of religion in Japan http://homepage3.nifty.com/su/Englishpage/History_Christianity.html.

Since I noticed this bookstore I have also noticed a few other Christian places around Japan. I found a Christian elementary school in Korien. I read here (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2298.html) that from the beginning of Christianity in Japan it was mostly middle to upper class people that joined. It makes sense to me that in those times the more welathy would have the religion because other people would not have had time for work and religion.

One part of Christianity I have noticed that are widely celebrated in Japan are the holidays. For example Christmas or Saint Valentine's day. Saint Valentine's Day has also been modified in Japan to the White Day in March. (Valentine's day is for women to give chocolate to men and White Day is for men to return chocolate to women.)

This is a picture of one of my friends that is wearing a cross earing and a necklace with The Virgin Mary on it. These are not worn for the religion but for the fashion of them. Since I saw these and asked about them I have also noticed several other people wearing them.

I asked these people if they were Christian or Catholic and the answers have all been no. An interesting thing I learned was that some people had gone to Christian junior and high schools, but were not Christian at all. Where I am from I know of a Christian school and you had to be Christian or they wouldn't consider you to be allowed to attend.

I find it very interesting that these religions in Japan are so different from in America. I think it is very good to be open minded in this case and let be enrolled in their school and not be part of their religion.

The entertainment of relaxation by gardening.

These are some pictures of things I have noticed around my neighborhood. The reason I chose to take photos of these gardens is because gardening is very enteretaining to many people. These pictures are taken all within the range of around one block. There are several more, but I felt that I would be being too intrusive if I looked over people's fences into their private yards to take some photos.
This first photo is of a garden that to me looks entertaining in three different ways. First off the if you look at the house in the background you can see that it is an older style Japanese house, so someone had a good time planning the layout of this garden. To the right where the photo ends is a normal front door. This is just the view from the gate to walk through the garden.
Second, this garden is very well kept. If you look closely at the bushes they are trimmed very neatly. There is also the statues that have no dirt on them. They are cleaned regularly. If you look at the rocks in the middle of the path way you can see that the grass srrounding them doesn't cover them at all. some people do gardening just to have it look good but people with gardens this neat take some enjoyment from it.
The last bit of enjoyment that I see here is the fact that the owners look at it and can see how beautiful and relaxing it is. I was told by my old host family's mother that when she sits in her garden it brings a cettain calmness over her like a meditation. She can just stand or sit there and she can feel stress being lifted from her. Her garden was different from this one, but maybe the people can feel the same effect from theirs.
This next picture is of a house around the corner from the last one. It is a different style of garden which is obvious because most of these plants are in pots(the strangest plant is the big red one with lights and drinks in it). Where the plants are has little to do with the entertainment of the garden though. I looked at these plants to see what kinds of plants there were to compare with the garden at my house in America. These are only plants. What I mean by that is that the plants grown here are not for food or something like that. They are just grown for the fun of gardening. They are
still well kept all the same. I see the owner of this garden outside watering and maintaining them regularly.

This is another picture of a well kept garden. Again if you look at the hedges you can see that they get trimmed often to keep the lines even and neat looking. When I looked at this garden I of course had to notice this gate that is sometimes part of a garden. This could be considered part of the garden since there is a design on the gate and the handles to the gate have designs also. The design is of a lion's head. If you look closely though you can see that the left side is the exact same gate as the right. meaning the head is upside down. I did ask some people passing by if there was a reason and they said they had no idea. I think it is just because the design of the gate is cool so they got the same to make it wider. There is another garden type I would like to show a picture of but I couldn't find one in time, but is known as Zen Gardens. Here is a link to one that you can get a portable garden to calm your stresses http://www.zengarden.co.za/. But the one I really like is http://www.ppsimages.com/spj/pix_pages/07GARDENS/garden_04.html. This shows several pictures of different types of these fantastic gardens and other types as well. For me all kinds of gardens are good but they prodause diffferent feelings for me. These pictures I have of the gardens with plants make me feel calm and relaxed, but the rock gardens make me feel calm but very secure. I also think of being in an ocean.
I hope this sparks some interest for someone!

Shinto

Shinto is the oldest religion in Japan. These

pictures are of Miyajima in Hiroshima

prefecture. Many traditions come from Shinto

belief. The gate is a classic Shinto symbol. It seperates the normal world and the sacred world.

Even the Kanji for gate looks like these Shinto Gates.

Shinto religion has affect on several things in Japan. Sometimes it is the New Years and sometimes it is actually going to a shrine and praying. Holiday foods are another thing affected by the religion.

Unfortunately Shinto has been manipulated for nationalist reasons. During World War 2 Shinto was used
as a way to gather support for the war in Japan. Eventually

when the war ended the Emperor had to admit that he really was not a Shitno Diety like he had claimed.


People today aren't as concerned about the true meaning
of Shinto religion. Younger people now still practice it but

don't understand or think about it. It is more tradition
than religion now.
Kami or Gods are a big part of Shinto also. They are believed to have control over weather, crops, nature in general, and also daily life.

Castles

These are pictures of some Castles in Japan(Osaka and Fukuoka). Castles have been a part of Japanese history for hundreds and hundreds of years. Castles began as wooden framed buildings and were normally based at the bottom of hills and surrounded by forests to prevent archers from hitting them from far distances. As weapons advanced stronger castles needed to be built. As you can see at the bottom of the picture of the Fukuoka castle there were many stones used in the structures of the castles. Not only on the castles themselves but on the many walls that surround the castles. Castles had many walls that ran similar to mazes to slow intruders, tire them out or confuse them(not all castles though). Walking up to the main tower of Fukuoka was not close to the outside gates and going through the valley like pathways with people attacking you from above would have been extremely difficult to gain access to the main tower. During 1575-1615 many castles like this were built. Japan was at war with itself and many clans were fighting for control.
Castles had many different parts to them. The most important was the main tower where the rulers would be. There were also places for soldiers and food storage.
As you can see in the picture of Osaka Castle there was a moat and the castle was far from the inner side of the moat. This is to make it harded of course for the enemy to reach the tower. If they were attacking on foot or with guns it was much safer and harder to damage from such a far distance. Castles all through Japan used the moat or sometimes a couple of moats. Now the second or outer moat would most likely be filled in because the space is needed for buildings and other things. At the time when these were being built though these castles were supposed to be the center of the city and easily entered if you were not an enemy but difficult if you were.
Now the castles around Japan are still used daily by many people. I met people at various castles that like to go there to meet people and talk about Japanese history and future. Some people give free tours about the castles as their hobbies. Japan should always keep these castles as a marker of their history. There are many great stories about these castles that definitely shaped Japan. Castles were not built so much after Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of Japan as the Shogun. He destroyed many also because he was unsure of who to trust and didn't want people to have a defense against him if he needed to get rid of them.
Castles now are mostly rebuilt because of the damage that has happened to them over the years. Osaka for example has been rebuilt at least two times.

Cars around the world

These are two pictures I took of German cars in
Japan. These are three of four of Germany's most popular cars and the more expensive of the four. From what I have learned, Japanese people much like Americans want to show their wealth, and having a nice foreign car shows that you have money and like to have toys. These models of cars are not like the usual Japanese style car. These are the sedan models and the coupe would be a little more Japan sized. Many Japanese cars are smaller because of the driving conditions in Japan (narrow roads, small parking spaces, etc...) and large cars are inconvenient. I have seen six Hummers here. Having a Hummer in Japan is (in my opinion) one of the worst autos to have here. I think besides it being too big for here it is rude to other people for making it hard for them to maneuver around your monster of an auto.
In America people buy a lot of Japanese cars. People are buying Japanese cars more because of the price and they are reliable. With the price there are a few points about Japanese cars that are reasons why they are becoming more and more popular with Americans.
First is Japanese cars are built to last. With regular upkeep Japanese cars will run forever. This is going to save on taking your car in to the shop often to fix things. Most Japanese autos are also champions on gas. Even the large trucks get better gas mileage than American trucks. This together with being more reliable is knocking American trucks and cars down in sales.
Another reason people in America want to have Japanese cars specifically is that they are fast and you can race them. People have done racing in America for ever and now they are turning to Japanese cars for ease of replacement parts also. One problem with this is that some of the racing style cars are also very easy to steal. So when someone breaks something they may know where to get a replacement part off someone else's car. That is not a good thing but it is true. Japanese cars handle very nicley also. That is important if you are racing your ride (car).
Japanese cars are everywhere now and there are many foreign cars in Japan. The world is just becoming smaller and things from other countries are a lot easier to get for whatever reason you may have to get them.

Sushi

This is a picture of a Kaitenzushi restaurant in Namba. I think that sushi is becoming a very global food. Other countries are eating it because of the health benefits and of course how delicious it is. People are also eating it because it is very different from burgers and your other foods in America.
I first had sushi in America. Sushi in America has some of the same fish or types of rolls, but America has also changed it to be more Americanized. An example of this is cream cheese on the sushi rolls. Traditional sushi would never have cream cheese with it. It is rice, fish, and maybe some seaweed depending on the if it is a roll or nigiri.
In Japan there are different types of sushi restaurants. This kaitenzushi restaurant is more like a fast food of sushi restaurants. The rolls are made and set on plates that rotate in a circle on a conveyor belt. At these places the quality of fish is not as good, but it still plenty fresh and tasty. Also in these restaurants there are more people going to them. Sometimes the waits are 10-30 minutes and sometimes even longer. Because this one is cheaper it is also a place for families to go.
Another type is more expensive but better fish is used and it is more fresh. You would normally sit down and order certain dishes and they would make them for you when you order. Very different from just grabbing a plate as it passes by you. I have never seen a wait in this style but many people still enjoy these ones equally to the kaitenzushi.
In America there are Kaitenzushi, regular sushi, and all you can eat sushi. People in America like I said earlier are becoming more interested in living longer, so Japanese cuisine is becoming more and more popular. Prices in America are more expensive because the fish has to be flown in more often to keep the freshness. I talked with a couple of my friends from Europe and they said people in Europe eat sushi for similar reasons.
So sushi is eaten all over the world now. People want to live longer and sushi is basically rice and protein (unless you are eating the fried sushi). Eating sushi everyday will not pack on as much weight as if you were to eat burgers(depending on how much you eat). I eat it often and still lose weight instead of putting it on like if I would have eaten in a burger restaurant.

I was curious about college life in Japan compared to my home country (America) so I went around and asked people various questions about their college life, free time, etc..

The first huge difference I noticed here is that people in Japan want to go to College immediatly after high school (unless they fail the exam, but that is another story). I have attended two colleges in Japan and asked about older students (being one myself) and if that ever happens here. The answer I got was no. I am sure it could happen under irregular cicumstances but it isnot at all common.

People in Japan normally graduate around the age of 22 or 23. I America someone can gradute at age 60 or when ever it wouldn't matter aslong as they do the work, but it is not uncommon for that to happen in America.

Another difference I am used to is that in America you have more options about if you are a part-time student full- time or just taking a class. Here in Japan you are a full time student first and then you decide what you will do on your spare time. School will run from around 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon on the weekdays. Their study time is how much they are willing to invest into it.

A big thing here is sports clubs and circles. Clubs and circles are almost the same but clubs will have more strict rules with participation and attendance. Cirlces are more relaxed about that kind of thing. If a student is in a circle or club they will most likely be spending about 10 hours a week, but can be much more on practicing with their other members. This plus the school work makes for a busy week.

Many students here have part time jobs also. (This is the opposite from what I think of American Universitys. I have a full time job and am a part time student.) These students will work short shifts but they seem to work many days. I am just amazed at how much time the students here spend on school, school activities, and work. It seems to me like they never would be able to have fun.

They do! Many of the students will go out with friends and play, drink, sing, or whatever, but what they give up is sleep. Students here don't sleep like Americans at all! I have talked to many Japanese students and they have told me about how they slept for two hours the night before or they average 5 hours of sleep a night. This in America may happen, but it is more likely that student will skip the class and try to catch up on their sleep. I am amazed at how much the Japanese students work and how little they sleep. (Of course this is not every Japanese student).

When is work over?

This is a picture I took of an older gentleman working in Japan. The reason I chose this as a point of interest is because I am so surprised at how many older people here are working and are as active as anyone else is. I see people( that in America would not go anywhere without a car) riding a bike down the steet with a basket of groceries on the handlebars and a basket of various things on a rack above the rear tire. My Grand father is 80 years old and I always considered him pretty healthy. He walks around a lot and does yard work etc... He keeps himself active, but I never see him do the things that I see older people in Japan doing. The man in this picture is not 80 years old and I am not sure how old he is because of it being rude to ask people their age. It took me long enough just to get someone to allow me take a picture of them.

My point of all of this is that what I have seen from people in Japan is that the work is never really over. I talked to an older friend of mine and he says he feels useless when he is not being productive. this could all change in the future because of how younger people are "becoming more lazy".

I tried to get pictures of many other people doing normal things in their lives but they were not willing to allow me to take their pictures. What I saw and continue to see though is people not being effected by aging the same as I am used to in America. I am used to my family and friends that are not lazy they just say they are tired and don't want to exert themselves as much as they use to when they were younger. I am going to continue looking into this and see why there is more active people in the older generation here.

Weight lifting

I have been to three gyms in Hirakata-shi and found out that weight lifting is not as big here as in America. Exercise is big, but not weight lifting. These are some pictures of the equipment in one of the Kansai Gaidai school gyms. Machine exercise is the most popular because of a few reasons.
The first reason is that machines are safer than free weights. People can go to the gym by themselves and not need to be spotted by a second person. It eliminates the risk of having the risk of the weights being to heavy for a person to hold and them falling unto them and injuring them.
The second reason I found out is that in the facilities
around here people are for the most part beginners in the gym. I have been in the gym working out and watched people doing there exercises with free weights. They do things that are risky to their bodies and may in the future cause serious injury. This is a good reason to eliminate the problem of safety by using mostly machines.
The third reason is for the trainers. This is so the trainers can keep watch over the people lifting and make sure it is not too heavy for them and if it is they can quickly change the amount of pressure to ensure safety.
I have seen three types of machine with the options of how to switch the weights. The first and oldest here is the actual weight with a bar pushed through to choose how much you lift. The second is a dial with six options of pressure. Finally the third is pressure gauge with controls on the floor that you can press with your foot to change it.

Safety fence with reason!

This is a picture of the fence around the Seminar House I live in. What gets me is that there are metal spikes on top of the fence that look like they would completely shred anybody that tried to cross over them. When I first saw them I was curious of what was trying to be kept out. It turns out that some men around the Seminar Houses follow the women to the Dorms and try to attack them. I talked to a few Japanese lady friends and they told me about some encounters they have had with men in the Hirakata shi area. One was grabbed from behind and attacked by a man that held her around the throat with his arm and started to try and touch her sexually, but luckily she was able to make enough noise to get neigbors outside and call the police. She got away unharmed physically but is still hurt emotionally.

Even now (February 26th) there is a man around the neihborhood of the Seminar Houses that a few days ago was flashing some of the foreign students. The man has not been caught and could do it again. A few months ago there was another man that was flashing the students of Kansai Gaidai. One time the gate was left open and a male passerby found it unlocked and tried to get in the dorms and look for women. To me it seems the spikes on the fence probably do prevent some men from entering the premisis. I am glad the spikes are there and I hope they continue to prevent injury to the students.

Jinja

This is the closest Shrine to the dorm I live in. I find this shrine so interesting because of the things in the shrine. This shrine has become a park as well as a place of worship. This to me says a lot about Japan. By putting the swings and slide in they made this place more enticing to others as well. Now kids will want to go and pay here while maybe there parents pray or do something. I have only seen 20 or so people in this park and most of them being kids using the swing and slide.

I look at this and think of all of Japan though and how it is really holding traditional values and modernizing at the same time. It also makes me wonder though if they could change this place into a park, would they do that to all of them and would that change the actual people that live in this neighborhood?

Kurumazuka park.

This is Kurumazuka park, located behind Hirakata Central Library. Kurumazuka park is a very popular park and visited by people everyday even if the weather is bad. The park is great for visitors! It has a track that goes around the park and is 450 meters long and marked at every 50 meters. This makes it easy to monitor how far you have walked and there is a clock to keep time of how long you have been there. Along with the track there are various things for helping people to exercise and keep fit with signs explaining how to use them. There is also a place to stand that pokes into your feet to relieve pressure and ease tension. I find this very interesting because there are so many Parks where I am from but I have never seen a park so dedicated to the health of people. When I come here and see the people I think of how much Japan is concerned about health. All day long you can see people in this park either walking, jogging, playing soccer, or there to relax and talk with friends.

Along with being a good place for exercise this park is well known for its benches next to the beer vending machine. The park is conveniently located right next to all four Kansai Gaidai Seminar Houses, where of course drinking is not allowed. The parks second name known by the students of Kansai Gaidai is "The Beer Park". Just about every night you can walk by the park and find a few students there taking a break from a long day of school or maybe just wanting to get drunk.

If you are ever in the neighborhood you may want to stop by there is also a restaurant called Cafe De Raffiene with a viking style lunch (all you can eat for 90 mintues) for around 1200 yen (about 12 American Dollars). I am told by one of the employees that the food is delicious and 1200 yen for all you can eat seems to be a good price.

Sandoru- The well priced meal that fills

This is the local restaurant that I go to often in my Hirakata-shi neighborhood. The restaurant`s name is Sandoru and it is a great place to eat for a very good price. The meals are mostly 500 yen, which is about 5 American Dollars. The size of the meals here are bigger than most of the restaurants I have been to in Japan for the cheap price. The type of meals here are teishoku, which is set meals. Sandoru is not a very big place but you are always able to find a seat. It is mostly visited by the students from Kansai Gaidai University, but there are often others that visit there. From what I have noticed it is always the same two people working there, which is a nice lady and her husband. The lady is the one that takes the orders and the husband cooks. The service here is pretty good. I think the average time for people to enter, eat and be on their way is about 20-30 minutes. Sandoru shares a building with apartment so it is not always possible to park your bike in the covered bike parking area, but you can still park right in front or across the street. Sandoru is not the most healthy place to eat, but it is delicious, close, and cheap. You should try it! From the Kansai Gaidai Seminar Houses 1, 2, and 3 it is up the street until the road T's and you take a right. It is the building right after the Kusuri(Medicine store).

Working together with courtesy.

This picture was taken in Fukui on one of the early days of my arrival to Japan. I noticed instantly the size difference in cars and roads. Roads in Japan are very narrow, which the reasons were obvious to me( very limited space). I was happy to see that people were very mindful of other drivers. By this I mean that when the parts of the road were very narrow and it was hard to pass someone would pull as far over as possible and stop to make it easier for the other driver to pass. Bikers on the roads here also get a lot more courtesy and space.

This is one of the first days I was in Japan. This picture is taken in Kyoto of the Aoi Festival on the road that goes around the Imperial Palace. I was surprised that instead of shutting off the road and rerouting traffic cones were set up and traffic directors worked to keep the flow going. People still gathered and took pictures and watched the parade and there were no accidents at all. Two things stuck out to me from this- Being Respectful and Public Order. Nobody showed anger or honked because they were being delayed. People just accepted what was happening and dealt with it like mature adults