My host family is in Fukakusa in Kyoto, which is 30 minutes away from Hirakata-shi station. Fukakusa is a area under Kyoto-shi, by train it still takes a while to get to Gion-shijo station, a centre station of Kyoto-shi.
Fukakusa is relatively quiet as mostly it is a residential area. The three-story house of my host family is right next to the Fukakusa station, the trains come about every 5 to 10 minutes, and depending on the speed of the train there are different volume of the noise coming through and vibration passed on the building floors. I have been waking up in the early morning thinking it was thundering outside, and then figured it was a 110/km Limited Express train passing by (Only sub.Express and Local train stop at Fukakusa as it is not a major station). No matter what, I feel lucky to have such an transportation-friendly accommodation. After a month of living beside it, the noise from the trains became less noticeable and sometimes it even comforts me. One thing worth to mention is that the punctuality of the trains, or not only the trains but almost all kinds of public transportation. They also come very often. No wonder not many people here drive to work or even own a car. They just simply do not need to bother maintaining a vehicle while there is such a convenient and fast commute tool.
Salon 8000 series trains serve the Limit Express, operates between Kyoto and Osaka and only stops at some main stations. Some cars are double decked and the seats are very comfortable.
Interestingly there is a place for people to park their bikes in front of the train station, and there is also a sign beside it telling people where to get their misplaced bikes which are took away by the government. It is strictly stipulated where you can and cannot leave your bike, and if you do not follow the instruction someday and once a while the government will take your bike and cost you a fortune and lots of apology to get it back. It is also not allowed to take the bike on the train as the saved space could be used by more people. So I think there is a basic rule: Bother others as less as possible, and this seems to be very important in Japanese culture.
Apart from the train station, another feature of this neighborhood is Ryukoku University. One day at dinner, my sister Yuka told me that there is actually quite many Chinese students live nearby as there is a Japanese language school, and they are in hope to go to Ryokoku University after their study at language school so they do not need to move again. The number of foreign students grows as the founding of new language school, and rental offices are also getting busier than before.
On one hand, this part of town is an ordinary Japanese dense but quiet residential area. On the other hand, it is also an area where people are gathered by public facilities like schools and transportation. The quiet and peaceful area is suitable for schools, and the relatively dense population requires convenient transportation. There is a interaction underneath all the placidity.
A seemingly shop which I could not tell where is the entrance and how do they sell.
Fukakusa is merely a suburban area of Kyoto-shi, most of the families have been living here for a long time and rebuilding their houses throughout the history. As most of the Japanese residents I saw here were elders, Fukakusa seems to be a place where young generation keeps moving out for big cities while the older generation stays for retirement. I guess the empty house near my host family house is also belonged to a family which suddenly moved out of the area but may still want to save the place and rebuild for later use.
As the Fukakusa campus of Ryukoku University and the Keihan Fukakusa station were built 50 years ago in fact, so what is the new blood to the area is actually foreigners who work and study here. Each time I went to the nearest and only Fresco in the community, I got to see people from other countries. The interaction taking place here is that, the schools and transportation are mainly responsible for bringing new population, while the new-coming population is also bringing changes to the area, as seen as more and more foreign restaurant (“Café Corolado” and western style live house bar) and Japanese language schools. These changes are not temporary and will continue to live with the community as they are becoming important elements in consisting and shaping the neighborhood Fukakusa.
As the Fukakusa campus of Ryukoku University and the Keihan Fukakusa station were built 50 years ago in fact, so what is the new blood to the area is actually foreigners who work and study here. Each time I went to the nearest and only Fresco in the community, I got to see people from other countries. The interaction taking place here is that, the schools and transportation are mainly responsible for bringing new population, while the new-coming population is also bringing changes to the area, as seen as more and more foreign restaurant (“Café Corolado” and western style live house bar) and Japanese language schools. These changes are not temporary and will continue to live with the community as they are becoming important elements in consisting and shaping the neighborhood Fukakusa.
I like that you define your neighborhood and provide a very nice taste of it. You seem to end abruptly - I would like to rad more about the interactions.
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