EXCHANGE STUDENT Q AND A PART 2
What’s your living circumstances like?
Major question, sort of, so I will try to cover it here.
Housing:
First hint of the day: don’t buy your toiletries at konbinis the moment you land. you get more value-for-money options from the local supermarkets and shops. if you absolutely have to and you arrived a few days early, hunt for Yodobashi first. first floor, beauty section, tonnes of options.
As you can see from a few posts ago, I managed to moved into, what’s lovingly known as, an aparto. If you were thinking you were going to stay on campus, like I did, you’re wrong. Before you arrive, they will ask you a few questions as to what you prefer in terms of housing and so on, and you get put into whatever they can handle (it’s not guaranteed). Some of those apartments come with a wiimax (pocket wifi) that is largely slow and unreliable in these parts (out in the sticks) and others come with ethernet-ed internet. While either circumstances are good, despite the unreliability, i still love my wiimax.
Each room is set up differently, and each room might have have different things. I am staying in Garden Heights Hirata. My room comes with a fridge, a microwave, a vacuum cleaner, a gas stove, a study desk with a desk lamp, an RCAC with it’s own remote, a light remote (coolest thing ever), a bed and bedsheets with like 3 layers worth of blankets and a pillow. The laundry room is communal and in a separate little building. The pillow is tiny, and i am used to contour pillows, so this was a little bit of a pain for me. however, most pillows here, while somewhat contoured, are really awful to use, so i ended up reverting to the original pillow.
The bathroom is like most hotels here minus the, disappointingly, infamous ass-warming bidet seat. you have a switch on the tap to go between basin and shower head. note: there is no toilet brush or any cleaning materials. hint: go find a 100yen shop asap when you arrive. One’s near the Saito Nishi monorail, in the “garden mall” next to the monorail, another is somewhere far away.
As you’re living in a rented apartment, you are also expected to abide by the social rules. no loud noises, separate your rubbish and throw them away accordingly (dates are written down on a piece of paper that you will receive), no late night laundries and greet your neighbours… only because this is a fantastic way to meet people.
Location:
it’s about a 10-15 mins climb uphill to the uni (all options include a climb uphill to uni, go build you stamina now!), with a takoyaki stand that never opens near me, 2 konbinis that are equidistant from me, 3 supermarkets about 10 minutes away, a bus stop just right outside, a homeware shop nearby, a sushi shop, an italian restaurant and a shokudo just 5 mins or less away.
If you’re a foodie though, there’s plenty of options just 20 mins walk away or a short bus ride’s worth. don’t fret. streets worth of food, make sure you spend your time wisely.
Minoh, the area you’re staying in, is still, largely, a “new town”. most of the families and people living here are under 40, with some young kids and regular jobs. most of them don’t seem to be home before 9, but regardless, the neighborhood is very quiet, clean and peaceful. It’s also interesting to see the stay at home housewives.
There’s a couple of small shrines here but nothing that will suit the tourist in you, particularly for the New Year’s Celebrations.
Further location advice: as mentioned before, about 45 minutes to the station that takes you to kyoto, about an hour and a bit to the JR stations that will take you everywhere else. about 2 hours from kobe, depending on which trains you take.
Also, transportation = expensive.
Food:
Most people ask me if I was cooking here at all. Osaka IS the “kitchen of Japan”, I chose not to cook while I am here this time. 7 weeks here and I want to buy pots and pans and rice cooker and what not? I will be poor before I even start cooking, so no. So, I eat from Konbini, the supermarkets and their half priced bentos, various eateries around and away from here and so on. In this way, I also felt like I met more people, I have learnt new ways of cooking things and “met” new choices of food. The only issue I met is when I didn’t feel like eating until about say, 11pm and also when i start getting… fussy.
In Canberra, I sort of pick a cuisine or whatever, and I just eat. Here, I go on a “nah, I might see something better later” or “I don’t feel like this today” idiotic sort of mood and get real fussy. In either situations, I often find myself starving (In a place full of food, mind you), way over any meal times and sometimes when everything is either closing or closed.
The nearby Konbinis is poorly stocked, which further limits my choices, and then life gets tough and I cup-noodle it up
Current Mood: tired