On my way to Sanko last Saturday evening I discovered a little quiet part of Makino. I was a little taken aback by the bright round street lights that were hung high above the road I was on. The lights seemed to be the only source of livelihood in town as everyone was wrapping up their business before heading home. Compared to street lights in the U.S. these were far livelier and more festive. The bright streets were enticing. Sanko was closed when I got there, so I decided to go to a drugstore in the area. Out of curiosity I followed the lit road until it ended. For some reason I figured this would lead me to M's Drugstore, where I can buy some milk tea. It did, but at first I was a bit scared of walking through the neighborhood alone. I came back this Sunday to take some pictures. I knew I wanted to present this part of Makino that not many people have taken the time to explore. This side of town doesn't have much to offer foreign visitors beside the numerous local coffee shops, floral shop, and
megane stores. The neighborhood is also dotted by some local mini restaurants and electronic stores, like Panasonic and Sony.
I found it odd when I came across the flag above. I had walked for 30 minutes before I came to an empty lot that was housing this sign. I also saw a couple of Century 21 signs along the way. It made me smile a little. I wondered how many English-speaking Westerners are going to be able to see this sign, tucked away in some remote corner of the neighborhood.
I also found a few shrines as I was walking through this part of town. I'm not entirely sure whether this is a Buddhist or Shinto shrine, for both religions use the swastika symbol. I am guessing that this is a Buddhist dedication. This dedication most likely contains a
kami that the people of this neighborhood are worshipping.
Here and there along the road were also little shops or stores that were opened to local people. I am a bit surprised by the locations of these shops though. Most of them were located in Makino's residential areas. In America, location is prime. You want to choose a location that's both visible and accessible to customers, and most commercial buildings tend to It is quite different here. Both residential and commercial buildings are located right next to each other.
On my way to Sanko last Saturday evening I discovered a little quiet part of Makino. I was a little taken aback by the bright round street lights that were hung high above the road I was on. The lights seemed to be the only source of livelihood in town as everyone was wrapping up their business before heading home. Compared to street lights in the U.S. these were far livelier and more festive. The bright streets were enticing. Sanko was closed when I got there, so I decided to go to a drugstore in the area. Out of curiosity I followed the lit road until it ended. For some reason I figured this would lead me to M's Drugstore, where I can buy some milk tea. It did, but at first I was a bit scared of walking through the neighborhood alone. I came back this Sunday to take some pictures. I knew I wanted to present this part of Makino that not many people have taken the time to explore. This side of town doesn't have much to offer foreign visitors beside the numerous local coffee shops, floral shop, and megane stores. The neighborhood is also dotted by some local mini restaurants and electronic stores, like Panasonic and Sony.
I found it odd when I came across the flag above. I had walked for 30 minutes before I came to an empty lot that was housing this sign. I also saw a couple of Century 21 signs along the way. It made me smile a little. I wondered how many English-speaking Westerners are going to be able to see this sign, tucked away in some remote corner of the neighborhood.
I also found a few shrines as I was walking through this part of town. I'm not entirely sure whether this is a Buddhist or Shinto shrine, for both religions use the swastika symbol. I am guessing that this is a Buddhist dedication. This dedication most likely contains a kami that the people of this neighborhood are worshipping.
Here and there along the road were also little shops or stores that were opened to local people. I am a bit surprised by the locations of these shops though. Most of them were located in Makino's residential areas. In America, location is prime. You want to choose a location that's both visible and accessible to customers, and most commercial buildings tend to It is quite different here. Both residential and commercial buildings are located right next to each other. 
Makino is an interesting area to explore and a surprisingly conveneient neighborhood to live in. The "swastika symbol" is Buddhist (and Hindu) but not Shinto. There's a lot of English usage in Japan, as I am sure you know, that is seen as cool/attractive and not necessarily intended for a foreigner. You make some nice observations - keep it up and keep researching what you see.
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