Neighborhood Hirakata

I live on the edge of Hirakata, slightly into the Kuzuha neighborhood. It’s about a 25 minute bike ride from school, although I’ve been improving travel time every day, making it further and further up the hills before I stop to walk my bike. Commuting is nice, because it’s a good exercise and an opportunity to observe the local surroundings as I ride by, sequentially stripping off layers to avoid sweating excessively before class. I tried finding my homestay house on Google street view, but was unsuccessful, partially due to the fact that my ride home includes shortcuts through farmland and a nearby park. I like the fact that the scenery includes both rural areas, neighborhoods with houses, as well as local shops and convenience stores.

Passing through the park is nice; this morning was sunny and I saw many people walking their dogs, and a mom playing with her kids and their homemade parachutes fashioned out of string and plastic sheets. My neighborhood is quiet, and hidden away from the traffic of the main streets. The house becomes a lively gathering places on weekends; this past Saturday my host parents managed to squeeze eleven people – relatives and a few ryuugakusee – into the living room to eat curry. 

Sitting in the warm living room and watching television that I can only slightly understand is the perfect way to relax after a long day at school or the next day after a late night out with friends. They have taken me twice to a bath house only a couple minutes away – I was surprised to the extent that the local community gathers here. The entrance room has places where people can sit and read the newspaper or manga, or buy food, snacks, and beverages. Inside the sento itself, there are different places to bathe – cold and hot pools, ones equipped with massage jets, outdoor baths, a steam room and even a sauna with a TV. It could almost be compared to a church or a community center. Every age group is represented, and it seems that the community can regularly come together nakedly and relax together, each person going through the ritual of cleansing and renewing their bodies. 

It didn’t take long for me to become accustomed to living with a host family – from the start they were warm and generous, taking me out to lunch, as well as inviting friends over to eat nabe and celebrate my arrival on the first night at their home. After only a week, I feel like they are family – not a replacement of my mom and dad, of course, but rather another type of family in another country and culture. Even though they are both retired, the house is lively, especially on weekend afternoons; extended family visits regularly, so I can look forward to being entertained by the antics of their toddler grandkids. I’m glad to have been placed with host parents whose lives are joyful and who have relatives who often want to spend time with them. I couldn’t help but think of people I know in the US who are too wrapped up in their own personal lives to deal with their elderly parents and, as a result, send them to a care facility so that strangers will look after them.