Area Studies Paper One: Knowing Your Way Around Kyoto

Part I. In the Neighborhood
My first task in finding my way around Kyoto was simply to find my way from my dormitory to the center. Having done this, I gained a little courage and decided to embark upon the first unguided tour, as it was the closest to the center. One of the first things I encountered upon leaving the center and heading out towards the nearest road was several groups of school children, who were adamant about telling me hello. I have come to find out that the other students at the center refer to this as the “hello gauntlet.” All of the children would say hello two or three times, but always with a smile. It was impossible to resist smiling back and offering them one or two hellos. I noticed that many of the children had the exact same bookbag, and I wonder whether this is a mandatory issuance from the schools or whether it is simply the latest fashion. They came in different colors, but each was stiff and boxy. I passed several stores which seemed to be convenience stores, but I am unsure as to which one is the best priced for convenience shopping. I noticed that there are 7-11s in Kyoto, although they carry a very different set of merchandise from 7-11s in the U.S. The marquee above the store was an advertisement for sushi, whereas currently in the U.S. the marquees feature a Jessica Simpson CD, so it appears the 7-11s in Kyoto are slightly more focused on needed products. It was after noon and I still had a long journey ahead of me, so I chose not to go into all of the stores, but I noticed that most of the products were labeled exclusively in Japanese. It will be very important for me to quickly master as much of the language as possible so that I can even do simple things like shopping. I could not find the Sento, although several EAC students have promised to take me there soon. I later found out that because I had gone before 3 PM when the Sento opens, the curtains were not out yet, therefore I was looking for the wrong thing. Although I saw it, I did not stop at Laa Jawaab, as I did not have time to get lunch. I am not a big fan of Indian food, but I have been very alarmed at how different many foods taste here in Japan compared to the foods in the U.S., so I look forward to potentially trying it sometime when I am in need of lunch. I saw Lawson’s, and since they are open 24 hours, it seems to be somewhere I will end up going at least once. I am known to randomly need food at 2 AM, so Lawson’s is somewhere I will need to remember well. Although, I did notice that there are an overwhelming amount of vending machines, so were I to need caffeine during a late night of studying, I would simply have to go to a vending machine instead of to a store. Luckily there is a vending machine between my dorm and the center.
I found the second portion of the “in the neighborhood” trip to be the most useful. As I walked down the hill, I did see the post office and the bank. I hear that post offices are very useful places, since they usually have an ATM that takes American credit/debit cards. However, the bank is useful if one has American money that needs to be changed. On my way down the hill I noticed a lot of people riding bikes. Asking several of the students at the center, I found out that bikes are really useful tools here in Japan, so I should look into purchasing a used one for the semester. I was very excited when I got to the Co-op. I was making decent time so I decided to stop and shop for groceries. It was very difficult to figure out what everything was, so I had to mostly rely on the pictures. Luckily, some things contained brand name symbols which were the same as the ones in the U.S. A lot of the things that are inexpensive in the U.S. are very expensive in Japan, such as juices and fruits. Because I was very unfamiliar with buying things in Yen, I was very worried about buying things at unfair prices, so for products that I could identify, I did my best to compare prices. A lot of the vegetables were packed very differently than they are in the U.S. I was very fascinated by the mushrooms, which come in a cluster that looks as if they were grown together. I do not have cookware yet, so I avoided anything that had to be cooked. I ended up with some yogurt, granola, oatmeal, cream cheese, bread, orange juice, and one or two other things that I could cook using a microwave. Upon getting to the counter, I discovered that there were no grocery bags at the Co-op, so I realized that I would have to purchase one of the ones that were being sold. I was very frustrated, as I could not communicate with the cashier, but luckily my total was reported on the screen, and I was able to pay. From the Co-op, and now laden with groceries, I began to walk down the street. I saw a bakery, though I cannot remember the name, and decided to look around. The deserts and breads looked beautiful. I believe that I will go back and shop there if I have any extra money left on my stipend at the end of the month. I next saw the Sundays Sun. It seems to be on the second floor of the building in which it is housed, and had signs in the window that were in English. I don’t drink coffee, but I have heard that it is a wonderful place to study for a reasonable price, because you can stay there all day. I looked for a long time, and finally found Savers, which I finally identified using the Katakana on a blue sign that spelled out Savers. I could not stop, since I was already loaded down with groceries and had no backpack, but I went the next day to shop for the necessary items for my room. Again, I ran into the problem of not being able to understand the labels, but luckily I had a friend with me to help sort out the dish soap from the dishwasher detergent. I finally purchased all of the needed items for my room. Savers does give plastic bags (Kyoto Co-op does not) but I chose to not get one. It’s very different shopping here than at home. At home I would usually buy about $100 worth of groceries at a time, but I have found myself spending 2,000 to 500 Yen, which is $20-$5 U.S. dollars. I am still so worried about overbuying or buying things that are overpriced, that I am not really taking full advantage of my shopping trips. I have heard that there is a store that offers things very inexpensively, but I am not sure whether or not it is on the walking tour. I hope to find it soon. I also got to try a Japanese desert while on my tour of the neighborhood. It was fruit covered in rice that had been mashed into a paste, and tasted a lot like dough. They were very good, but did not taste much like a dessert. I also found Izumiya, which is very, very big. I did not expect to see a multiple storied building that was a supermarket. I guess the difference between the dessert store (which was very, very small) and Izumiya is representative of this area of Kyoto. The area very close to the center is a mix of bustling areas and very quiet residential areas. You have plenty of places to shop and eat, whether you like more traditional or more commercial choices. I am looking forward to exploring more of Kyoto.