Having been raised in Kobe for almost my entire life, I consider myself a 神戸っ子 ("Kobe-kko"), or a "Kobe-person". Whenever I am asked where I am from (the tanned skin and my rather exotic choice of outfit seem to confuse many people whether I am from Japan or some other tropical country), I subconsciously try to distinguish myself from people in Osaka, despite my strong Kansai dialect. "My hometown is Kobe," I would say,"Shittou?" (「知っとう？」Kobe dialect for "Do you know?"). Most of the time they will say that they've heard of the city but never been, and I usually end the conversation by saying how beautiful it is there, and that they must pay a visit sometime. For this blog, I was tempted to write about my beloved hometown, but instead chose Hirakata-shi, my second home that is yet to be explored.
So far I have found out that my house in Hirakata-shi is in a highly residential area, and therefore is extremely quiet - both day and night. In the morning, I see some people starting their day by watering their plants in front of their doorsteps, having a walk in the park, or perhaps taking out their garbage bag to the designated bumping spot. Even in the evening, the area feels almost empty, and I am barely reminded of the neighbors' livelihood when I walk past a house during dinner time and smell their dishes.
From where I am living, it is hard to imagine that this relatively small city actually has quite a vibrant nightlife of its own.When I head towards the local Hirakata-shi station, a brief 15 minutes bike-ride from my house, I see many restaurants and 居酒屋 ("izakaya"), Japanese bars that serve anything from alcohol drinks to deserts. At this time of the year, you might see a crowd of サラリーマン("salary-man", white collar male workers) enjoying their drinks at a 立ち飲み屋 ("tachi-nomiya"), where they would literally stand (立ち) and drink (飲む) after a long day of work.
It is also not rare to see a 屋台("yatai"), a van that serves different kinds of food and drinks, parking just around the corner. The stereotype that I once had of おっちゃん("Occhan" middle-aged men) talking to the yatai owner with a cup of sake in his hand was completely destroyed, when I saw young female students in the seats, enjoying their meal.
In a nutshell, Hirakata-shi seems to have a good mixture of peace and excitement. What more can you ask after a pleasant evening at the 市駅 ("shi-eki" a local way of saying 枚方市駅) : a warm, cosy futon that awaits for you, in the peaceful, silent neighborhood. 
This is a nice description of Hirakata-shi - you provide some observations that many international students might not be able to do. I find it interesting that you chose to focus on Hirakata-shi rather than your home town. So in a way you are challenging yourself into exploring Hirakata in way that you have not done before. I am glad you are encountering some surprises along the way.
ReplyDeleteWhere specifically in Hirakata-shi is your neighborhood? I would like to read more specifically about the area where you are living rather than a broad overview of the city. Still, your post is interesting and you have some nice photos here.
To: visual gonthros
ReplyDeleteCommento doumo arigatou gozaimasu.
I am living in one of the Gaidai Seminar Houses, so relatively close to Hirakata-shi Station, but I feel that I may have generalized the area too much by referring to my part of the neighborhood as "Hirakata City" as a whole. I realized that this city is much bigger than I thought, when I was looking at the map the other day! Shitsurei shimashita....