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THINGS TO DO IN OKAZAKI

When you arrive in a new country, it is always difficult to find things to do (or often, find the confidence to do things). I spent a year thinking that there was no nightclub in Okazaki, until someone pointed one out to me just ten minutes from where I live in Residence K. Never claimed I was observant. The first place to look is the new guidebook. This is under construction, but there is some information on it relating to museums and art, shopping, parks, restaurants, sports facilities and so on. The URL is:

http://www.yamasa.org/okazaki/

This should give you an idea of the kind of information that we are providing - if you are in Okazaki, and looking for a way to find a little extra cash to help fund your studies, we will pay 3,000 Yen for each topic - if you provide the text and photos, we can put it together as a web page for you.

Okazaki is a fairly large city, about 330,000 people, but it is quite spread out so it doesn't feel like that many. And also, the definition of "city" in Japan includes a large area around the city proper. So, you can find most things in Okazaki. For a quiet evening, you can go to the:

Cinema (Kita Okazaki, local train 5 minutes, bicycle 15 minutes).

Restaurants: selection includes Vietnamese (I went on Wednesday - first time eating Vietnamese food), Chinese, French, Italian, Cajun, American, Korean, and many others including of course a range of Japanese styles. All except the Vietnamese are within walking distance of Yamasa.

Bars: a huge range, from small local bars that seat six people and a karaoke machine to huge izakaya that close at 5am. Generally the larger places are cheaper as most of the smaller places charge a seating charge of up to 1,000 Yen. That's two beers at a large impersonal place where no one knows your name. Bars are also one of the best places to talk Japanese - everyone is friendly.

Karaoke: a must if you are from a country where karaoke is not a normal part of the culture. The experience is...well, see and hear for yourselves. Prices are very cheap - a room generally costs about 1,000 Yen per hour, and then you can put in as many people as you like. Then just order food and drinks on the internal phone.

History: go visit some of the many shrines, temples and other generally old things around town. There are more temples and shrines than you can visit in a year (unless you tried hard). Then of course there is the castle and the grounds around it - right next to the river, this is one of the calmest and most relaxing parts of Okazaki, and where they hold the festivals (hana-mi, fireworks, etc.)

Greenness: Get on a bike, cycle in a straight line in any direction, and you will find a lot of green and old buildings, and a lot of Japan that you didn't think was still there. I went to a really nice place on the East of Okazaki last weekend, just an hour's ride, and was astounded at the number of really old houses, and even older looking people...

Tall things: Take a train to Nagoya (600 Yen, 30 minutes) and on top of the station is the new "twin towers" building - 50 floors and a fantastic view. It's a really nice looking building too. 500 Yen to see from the top floor, the first to twelfth floors are all shops and restaurants, a huge bookshop, brand-name and fashion outlets, etc.

Wet things: Go to the seaside. Takeshima is just 25 minutes by train in Gamagori - trains every 15 minutes or so. Go for a swim, see the ancient temples, get purified (if you feel you need it), have some takoyaki and come home. Be careful though - apparently the goddess of the island is kind of jealous, and if you go there with your girlfriend/boyfriend, she will see to it that you break up...

If you write about any of this and take a couple of photos, we'll put it in the guidebook and pay you 3,000 Yen - enough to cover the next little outing. So, get out there! Every time you go out, you will have new chances to try your Japanese - and communicating is the only way to learn the language and about the culture of Japan.