香里園

So I've been living in Kourien for three weeks now. I have to say, I'm very pleased with the overall atmosphere of the place. I'm about twenty minutes away from the train station, Starbucks, some kind of generic bookstore, and a variety of pachinko parlors.It's a very 'exiting' place, guys. Look at Becca's 'exited' face.

Well, I suppose Pachinko isn't really unique to the area, considering there's pretty much one on every block in any city in Japan. Still, it's a neat town. I've heard from a few Japanese girls that they're afraid of going into Kourien after dark but...since I get home well after the sun goes down, it hasn't necessarily been a problem for me. The streets seem to be crowded any time before midnight, and that's good enough for me.

Although I live in Kourien, I feel like I belong more with the city of Hirakata. Sure, I live in Kourien, but I stick to the same route to the station so I don't get lost. I haven't had the courage to explore deeper than the route I was designated. I've been around Hirakata and just wandered the streets, though. One thing I noticed immediately were the gardens plotted right outside of some apartment buildings, with most windows covered in clothes in order to dry them in the sun.

For some reason, this scene makes me think of the country Jordan. A lot of houses over there hang their clothes up to dry outdoors, and they also have gardens in the front/back yards of their apartment buildings. This scene, minus the neatly paved road and shackled roofs, could be a spitting image of some Jordanian areas. I like how this small garden is so close to Hirakata - shi is still of interest to the neighboring residences in this city. It really blows my mind..