Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Osaka, Japan

Pronouns: They/them

Osaka is definitely the city I’ve visited the most since I’ve been here. I haven’t necessarily done all of the tourist things I’ve wanted to yet, but I’ve been around the Osaka Loop a few times.

Osaka is known as “Japan’s Kitchen”, as it’s home to several famous restaurants and birthplace of popular foods. You would be hard-pressed to find somewhere in Osaka that doesn’t sell okonomiyaki or takoyaki.

Osaka-style okonomiyaki

Takoyaki topped with bonito flakes

One of the places in Osaka my friends and I go to a lot is Tsuruhashi, Korea Town. There are a lot of K-pop stores selling both official and fan merchandise.  We’ve gone a few times and we’ve never come out empty handed.

Picture showing the web of stores outside Tsuruhashi Station

All the albums and loose photo cards I received over my time in Japan

Another place we like to go is Tower Records. Japan has a booming music industry, mostly due to the fact that most music is sold as physical CDs. There are two Tower Records around Osaka Station, one in front, and on behind. Both are equally impressive and have a wide variety of local and foreign music.

The one place I regrettably haven’t been to is Dotonbori, the food street. I heard it has a wide variety of food choices and delicacies that I would love to try while I’m here.

Dotonbori Canal

Going around Osaka immediately reminded me of Chicago. There are small suburban areas like Tsuruhashi much like Chicago’s Andersonville and Boy’s Town. There are small restaurants and stores lining the street leading to the station, as well as restaurants within the station.

View of Osaka from Osaka Castle

Osaka is definitely within the realm of what would be comfortable to American tourists, especially if you’re only staying for a few days. It has a lot of great food to offer if you’re willing to try it.

Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Nara, Japan

Pronouns: They/them

Nara is one of the cities I’ve had the least experience with. I went with a group of international students and high school students. We went to a couple different places and got to experience the Heian era first hand.

Nara was also a capital of Japan, long before Kyoto. Now, it’s well known for its deer park in front of Toudaiji, which houses one of Japan’s largest Buddha statues. The deer are in integral part of Nara’s culture and history, and now they boost tourism as well. The deer are famous enough to become Nara’s mascot.

A keychain of Nara’s mascot

Deer eating the deer crackers

During my trip, my group went to a historical museum dedicated to the Heian era. We got to dress in traditional robes and explore the grounds freely. There was also a museum on the grounds that we were able to explore. We saw the grounds as it was during the Heian period, foods and music, and even how buildings were structured at the time. It was all very impressive.

A picture of me in Heian era clothes

The Toori gate on the grounds

A model of the grounds

Statues of two nobles eating

After that, we went to Toudaiji, one of Japan’s most famous Buddhist temples. In front of the temple gates was the deer park. The deer are fairly docile, until they see you have shika senbei, the deer crackers. They are relentless, even after you give them all of the senbei. They calm down after a little bit to find the next person with food.

The temple itself is very impressive. The sheer size of the temple is awe-inspiring. Once inside, you’re greeted by one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan. The crowd pushes you clockwise around the statues, showing off other statues and relics, and miniature models of the temple through the years. At the very end, near the exit, there is a line of gift shops, selling fortunes, deer statues, and keychains.

Todaiji

An octagonal lantern outside the main temple

The Daibutsu

Statue of Tamonten

A model of the Great Buddha Hall

The view from the exit of the Great Buddha Hall

Again, I don’t think Nara has an equivalent in America either. There really isn’t a place where wild animals freely interact with humans like in the deer park. It’s a city with a rich history based on the deer surrounding the temple. I would love to see other parts of the city as well.

Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Kyoto, Japan

Pronouns: They/Them

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to write about for these blog posts. I’ve decided to start simply by describing the cities I have easy access to. The first, and one of the most well-known, is Kyoto.

Kyoto was Japan’s capital city before Tokyo. It is a city steeped in history, and it’s easy to see in everyday life. It’s not uncommon to see people walking around in yukata even in the most modern parts of the city.

I’ve been to Kyoto twice, both as school trips. The first time was during orientation week. It was used as a chance to show us Hirakatashi Station and how trains worked. My group went to a mall for lunch first. After that, we went to a large temple not too far from the mall. We spent a lot of time wandering around the city and finding different shops, including a dessert shop that only sold matcha flavored treats and a little souvenir shop with handcrafted figures and coin purses.

A coin purse modeled after a boar

The urban side of Kyoto

Kamo River running through Gion

Yasaka Shrine entrance

Hokanji Temple Pagoda

The second time was for my Zen Buddhism class. We went to meditate at Tenryuuji. It was an interesting trip there, as we had to get on a small two way train from beginning to end. The last stop was Arashiyama, where the temple sat at the base of the mountain. We meditated there for about an hour, and then we were able to roam around the garden and the area around the station as we pleased. There was another handcraft store there, as well as several food stands in front of the trains.

Lego model of Arashiyama Station and the shops outside

View leading up to Arashiyama

Lake in Tenryuji Garden

View from the path above the temple

Bamboo forest behind temple

Statue of Bodhi Sattva Kannon

    Kyoto doesn’t really have an American parallel, in my opinion. It’s easy to compare Tokyo to New York, or Osaka to Chicago, but Kyoto doesn’t have that kind of parallel. It is a place that perfectly combines past and present, creating a feeling that can’t be experienced anywhere else. I would like to go again, especially with the leaves changing soon.

Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Japan

Pronouns: They/Them

I’ve lived in Japan for about a month now. I’ve had a blast every second, but I’ve also noticed some glaring differences compared to America. One of the most important cultural identities of Japan comes from the seasons. Japan is beautiful during every season, and they know it. There are seasonal
foods, snacks, and drinks, more than in America.

Since the seasons are changing now, there are many new seasonal drinks and snacks releasing in convenience stores across the nation. In America, there are themed packaging, but the product mostly remains the same. The only seasonal food I can think of is the spooky cereal brands that show up every year. However, in Japan, there are new flavors released all season long for every season. In my local drug store, I saw Halloween candies and snacks on the shelves half-way through September. In 7-Eleven, there was a new flavor of Fanta available (Blood Orange flavor), as well as a new flavor of water (Japanese Pear flavor). Since the season officially changed today, I can’t wait to see what else becomes available.

Another important part of Japanese culture is festivals. A few days after I arrived, there was a small, local festival held near city hall. There were children’s games, food stalls, and a concert. One of the first things I bought there was a staple of Japanese summer: Kakigori (shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk). It is sold everywhere during summer and is usually made apparent by the blue flag with the red kanji for ice. Another popular street food is kushi (skewers). They either have cooked meat or deep-fried meat and vegetables, depending on where you go. At the festival, I bought a grilled beef skewer (gyu-kushi), which was amazingly tender and flavorful, even though they only put salt and pepper on it. I saw both again when I went to a temple in Kyoto.

Since Kansai Gaidai University is next to a station, students have access to three major cities, all about an hour away: Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. There are several festivals hosted in these cities throughout the year, especially in Kyoto and Nara. Since both were Japan’s capitals before, there are a
lot of cultural and historical events available.

Among these events includes both flower and leaf viewing festivals in April and October, respectively. One of the events the local students planned this semester includes going to Kyoto to see the red leaves. Another event local students plan is the University Festival, held in late October or early November. It kicks of fall break, one of the only breaks we have this semester. Since the schedule for exchange students is intentionally easy, with a minimum of 4 classes being highly recommended by staff, this break fits in as a well-needed break.

Speaking of classes, since I couldn’t find anything about it before I came here, I’d like to mention how classes are structured here. Classes are divided into five blocks. Each class is an hour and a half long, fitting into these blocks. The first two blocks start at 9 am and 10:45 am, respectively, on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday are set aside for Japanese classes since there are four sections per level. After block two, there is an hour for lunch that is very reminiscent of Valpo’s chapel break. The next block starts at 1:15 pm, and then there are two more blocks after that, ending at 6:10 pm. Since Japanese has to be before lunch, and there are probably no more than four other classes to fill the other spots, it is fairly easy to find free time.

That free time can be used to go around the city. Hirakata is a unique city since it is the meeting point among three major cities. Even on the walk to Nakamiya campus, there are a lot of interesting shops. There is a traditional Japanese sweets shop, a grocery store, several hair salons, and even more doctors offices. Closer to the station, there is an entire mall. I have only been there once, but I plan to go again soon. It has books, CDs, movies, and clothes, all things great for gifts. There are a lot of places nearby that I haven’t been to yet. Once I get settled into my schedule here, I’ll definitely become more adventurous.