Keihan Line Station-Fujinomori

 

The Keihan train line goes between Kyoto and Osaka so its convenient for a Kansai Gaidai student in the middle of the two cities. I almost always use the limited express to get to Kyoto and Osaka though so I haven’t really seen the stops in between. 

For this post I went to a small station called Fujinomori in Kyoto prefecture. To get to Fujinomori you have to transfer at Tembabashi to the local line for two stops. 

 

I asked the station master for the history of the station but he said that he didn’t know. Right next to the station are a couple of apartment buildings and some schools so it seems like a quiet place. 

 

The station only has two platforms and four small entrances/exits. Most people seem to use the station to get to Tembabashi and then transfer to the limited express there. 

While I was at Fujinomori station a local elementary school got out and the platform was filled with little kids on their way home. 

 

The teachers came to the station to help the students get on their trains. So many kids took the train to school but it stilled surprises me to see little kids on the train by themselves. I would be so nervous to see a child walking around and using transport by themselves in the States because it seems so dangerous. It reinforces the idea that Japan is a safe country. 

Before the station got really crowded with students. 

I saw the school’s English teacher, probably from the JET program, on the train talking to his students in English about the music on his iPod. It was nice to see that the teacher interacted well with the students outside of school. 

 

Outside the station there was a nice little river surrounded by houses. Fujinomori is a small station is in a residential area so its not very lively but seems like a nice neighborhood. 

Portrait of a Japanese Person

Aiko!

Aiko is a gorgeous Japanese girl with a sweet,funny personality. 

  

Aiko is a RA in the seminar house I live in. We live in the same apartment unit so I’ve gotten really close with her and gotten to know her well. 

Aiko loves to laugh and have fun but she’s really diligent and hard working as an RA and a student. Aiko has a lot of stress from trying to prepare to study abroad for two years but she’s still happy and upbeat. 

 

Aiko’s style is fashionable but also has a bit of cool hip hop personality to her. She used to dance in the hip hop circle at Kansai Gaidai and can do some break dance moves. The dance pop culture Her personality reflects a bit of dance past in her stance and demeanor. Aiko is cute but also a lil G. She asked one of our roommates about style in the US and one of the styles she said was ghetto, Aiko said she knew it and then spelled out G-H-E-T-T-O really proud. 

Aiko also likes Abercrombie a lot so I gave her the shirt in the pictures as a gift. 

 

I know Aiko deals with a lot of stress because of her job and school but she handles it so well and always has a happy face on. 

When I was taking pictures of Aiko it was fluid but we were also laughing a lot since we get along so well. I’m really glad I ended up living with her in seminar house and we became friends.