One might think that Hirakata is just a small suburb of Osaka, but in reality there is alot more there than originally meets the eye. This picture is an example of one narrow street with many families, of which there are many. Not only are there many Japanese families living here, but also many foreign students come in and out of the city every semester. This creates a sort of outside connection in this small town. I feel as if this gives Hirakata its unique charactor, as well as many "Gaijin-friendly" restaurants and stores.

Another interesting aspect to the city is the dog park. Whenever I walk or ride my bike past the small area, there are always many people interacting with eachother, walking their dogs, and playing sports. In hot weather, there are young children running around in the water fountains and getting cooled off. This is the sort of place I think about when picturing daily community life because everyone is there for the same purpose, and the city residents can share in it together. In an article from Japan Today, it describes that dog parks are becoming more and more popular in Japanese society. http://archive.japantoday.com/jp/feature/1141 Hirakata seems to be the kind of city that you can find all over Japan, but to us Kansai Gaidai students, it will become our home away from home.