Neighborhood Hirakata

Hirakata is such a diverse city that its hard to know where to begin. My travels have thus far yielded handfuls of unique surroundings, from bustling shopping districts and noisy karaoke joints to somber neighborhoods where you could hear a pin drop. The other day I took a bike ride with a friend and saw a lot of what the city has to offer. In the afternoon we took off from Seminar House 3, then cut through campus, passed through Hirakatashi station, rode down past city hall, and just kept going. Early on we saw locals playing soccer in the park, a lot of fast food joints and convenience stores, teenagers walking the streets in packs, and a surprising amount of graffiti.

I've seen "FLASH" so many places that I'm starting to think it might not be graffiti.

After some time, however, we broke into a small farming district, and for the first time in weeks I saw open land stretching farther than one city block.

A shot from within one of the farms.

This shot shows the dense neighborhoods behind the farms.

Right next to the farms was a small park by a stream where people of all ages were relaxing. There was a group of older men smoking in a circle, a middle-aged couple training their dog, and a twenty-something-year-old guy teaching his younger brother how to fish. The brothers baffled me because I swear nothing is alive in that muddy stream.

I don't think they caught anything.

I've been taking my iPod with me wherever I go, and every once in a while a song comes on that seems to have been made for that moment in my life. While I was riding around that song was I Feel It All by Feist. Enjoy.