As far as neighbourhood Hirakata goes, I've spent most of my time in Japan outside of the town I'm living in - but all of my experiences in Hirakata have certainly been memorable.
The area of Hirakata around Kansai Gaidai seems quiet and serene, full of friendly neighbours who will nod towards you in the morning and stop and chat in the evenings. I've been introduced to more dogs in Hirakata than in England and America combined. There are also security guards around who appear stoic at first, but eventually start grinning if you wear them down enough. (losing one of your shoes whilst cycling to school is a good ice-breaker, if you don't mind a dignity-free introduction).
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| View of the cycle route to Kansai Gaidai, through the quieter streets of Hirakata |
Around the Kansai Gaidai campus, there are many small bars and restaurants that are favourites of both the Japanese students and ryugakusei. There's the New Delhi restaurant that some Japanese friends introduced me to, the Nose Ride cafe where they will name cocktails after you and you can always find some international students and Kazuya is a small place, but will serve you the best Takuyaki you could imagine.
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| Kazuya restaurant at lunch time |
The other side of Hirakata is the slightly more fast-paced world around Hirakatashi - with Izakayas, Nomihodais and 24-hour Karaoke bars aplenty. A very concentrated but diverse entertainment district where the question is never what you should do, but what you should do first.
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| An average night out in your local Hirakata Izakaya |
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| Kiddyland, just under Hirakatashi. A haven for some, scary for others. |
And last but not least - if you're talking about Hirakata, then, to a ryugakusei, you're also talking about Kansai Gaidai. Which, to many is synonymous with the CIE lounge. A meeting place, a study lounge, convenient nap location - it's anything you want it to be and more.
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| relaxing in the CIE lounge |
You have a lot of interesting observations and some very nice photos in this post. But you seem to be providing a macro description of Hirakata rather than a more focused examination of your own particular neighborhood. Quality over quantity is valued in these posts. I am glad to see that you are out and doing lots of fieldwork. Such experiences will be valuable for your increasing knowledge of Japan.
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