This picture was taken in early September on my very first outing around Hirakata. After knowing the people in the picture (I will leave them anonymous just in case...) for only 5 minutes or so, we left the seminar house together and rode off in search of an electronics store. Because we were short one bike, we decided to follow the example of the Japanese kids around Hirakata, whom we had seen several times before skillfully maneuvering through the streets carrying their friends on the backs of bicycles. How easy they make it look! I suppose our thought process was, "If they can do it, surely we can too!" In reality, it is quite a difficult task and we stopped more than a couple of times due to near accidents. As the driver finally got the hang of it though, we began to cruise the streets until we realized we were totally lost. After using what LITTLE Japanese we knew at the time to ask directions from local pedestrians, we were able to eventually find our way to K's electronics, where we again made use of our elementary Japanese in order to find an adaptor. The employees at K's were extremely helpful (albeit slightly amused, no doubt) and they even double checked with the supervisor to be certain that they had recommended the right product. If there is one thing that I have constantly noticed since arriving to Japan, it is the eagerness of employees to help customers. The kindness of the Japanese people was exhibited even in this very first trip around Hirakata.
To continue with the story, on the very same outing around Hirakata I also discovered KAPPA SUSHI, just around the corner from K's electronics. I decided to post this picture because this type of restaurant is particularly intriguing to me, not just for the obvious reason (sushi on conveyor belts!?) but also because of the recent discussion in class about 100 yen shops and discount stores, which have apparently only recently popped up in Japan. Prior to this phenomenon, people were quite secretive if they shopped at discount stores, almost as if they were ashamed. However, today so much has changed in Japan; this restaurant, for example, obviously does not serve the highest quality sushi, but you get a lot for your money. Every time I have been to Kappa Sushi, there is always a lot of business (the same with 100 yen shops for that matter) and for me this really drives home the point that (as we saw in the documentary Tokyology) Japan is indeed a place of constant growth and transition; never stagnant.
**For fun, I uploaded this short video that I took from the first time I visited Kappa Sushi....enjoy!
1 comment:
An interesting post, but your focus seems to be on you and your adventures rather than the neighborhood itself. The focus could work better if you provided more and varied information about the shops and places you encountered within your neighborhood.
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