Early Impressions of Japan

My first impression of Japan? Freezing winter, or at least that's what I thought my first impression of Japan would be. I was warned beforehand by a native Kyotoite even before I started packing for my trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. Of course, like every typical foreigner on his/her first trip to a strange land, I was both amazed and taken aback by some of the cultural differences found here. The surprising part was that I felt and am still feeling comfortable being in a different environment and making new discoveries everyday. For some reason I felt that I belong to this part of the world. Perhaps, it is because the local people are friendly hosts who are experienced in entertaining foreign students. Of course, like other foreign students I was intrigued by the random placement of vending machines on Japanese streets and residential areas, the Japanese organized system of trash separation for recycling purposes, etc. However, let me stop here. I do not want to go further into explaining my sentiments and thoughts about being a stranger in this land. I've discovered that words alone are sometimes inadequate means of expressing one's thoughts and emotions that may be too subtle or strong to be conveyed. For this reason, I have chosen to express them through this blog. This is an opportunity for me to capture the thoughts and feelings that certain aspects of Japanese culture may arouse in me. Only these images will be able to capture my fleeting thoughts and feelings of all things Japanese. To begin this blog I've included a few pictures that I took in my first few days in the areas surrounding Hirakata-shi. These images were captured through a foreign lens.

Japan is known for its advances in the technological field. One would expect the Japanese lifestyle and culture to be reflective of these advances. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of Japanese living in the Hirakata-shi area, where I happen to reside, are still preserving their traditional style of living.

I absolutely love these little mopeds. They remind me so much of my early memories of Vietnam. I was so excited about seeing one that I took a picture just to show to my parents. Of course the U.S. has these too, but they are not part of the normal transportation system there. I really wonder whether the peaking popularity of this type of vehicle is maintained by its ultra compact sizes that serve to help Japanese people conserve space and suppress emission of CO2. Anyways, these mopeds seem to be the ultimate ride for youngsters (and some middle-aged adults).

I spent my first few days exploring the suburban area surrounding Hirakata-shi. I must have walked past this site a couple of time before I realized that there's something interesting about it. Amazingly, I find this picture to contain an important aspect of Japan's value system. It reminds me of the Japanese concept of uchi-soto: the perceived image of outer appearance for Japanese is always different from the inner true motive. The steel fence outside gives an illusion of formality and order, but view of the other side of the fence (uchi) reveals a much different vibe of the neighborhood. The fence here serves to divide soto from uchi, outside from inside.