Seeing the City I Live in! Hirakatashi

There are two major differences that I've seen in Japan that America hasn't embraced. One being that even though there are cars, public modes of transportation seem to be more popular. The other difference being that karaoke is very different from the average karaoke bar in America.

Trains in Japan are incredibly popular, you should see the 5 o'clock trains, they're always standing room only. Another difference being that areas around the station are actually seem to be quite high priority areas for shops, foods, bus stops, and taxis. Also, buses are more popular than in America.

Karaoke is a favorite of many Japanese and tourists. In America there are karaoke bars: however, going to a Japanese karaoke room, a group of people go together and get a room for the group, whereas the karaoke bars are just a stage. I think the Japanese karaoke rooms have a less intimidating feeling.

Japanese Families

This weekend I had the pleasure of being a guest in my friend's family's house. I've started trying to immerse myself into the Japanese society to start having a greater grip on the language, as I've been in Japan for about eight months. But this weekend was special not only being the first time I've seen this family since I got to Japan, but also because this family had a grandchild born since I've been in here. The Japanese have a ceremony just typically inside their own house, where they will start to teach the child about non-bottled means of feeding, called in Japanese "okuizome." This literally means "start eating." They do this ceremony 100 days after the baby is born. The baby gets to try maybe a taste of all of these items, but never actually eats. The main dish at this ceremony is a whole cooked fish. Other items on the typical menu include clear soup, stewed food, also including one thing pickled to help for strong teeth. All served in a dinnerware that is red inside and black outside. The family also makes a moderately extravagant meal consisting of sushi, salad, shrimp, cake, and so on. This tradition started around the Heian Period.


This is other information about the ceremony and also shows the same tradition held by a family now living in the United States.
http://www.vjcc.com/cc_05-06.htm

The Landing of the Plane

Above Photo from: http://www.japanorama.com/images/Hinomaru_364x254.gif

Thats where it started... My studies in the land of the rising sun, that is. No knowledge of the language and no information regarding the currency system. Before I was fully on my own in Osaka, I learned the currency denominations since I was going to be on my own for two days, and it was quicker than learning the language in a few minutes. You can change your money at the airport when you get off the plane. The Denominations are from top left to bottom right. 1 Yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, and then finally 500 yen. The other picture is of their 2000 yen bill which is rare according to most Japanese people. Other bills include the 1000 yen, 5000 yen, and 10000 yen.








For planning ahead, your trip to Japan:
www.x-rates.com

And to find your way to the Osaka area, the airports in the area:
www.flyatn.com/airports/osaka.asp
www.japan-guide.com/e/e2433.html