Fantastic Farm Houses-Week 6

---

I got my visa! Now I just have to get my alien card, which I'm not sure exactly how to get. I guess I'll ask them at the immigration office at the airport.

It did not take me long to get my visa, so I had to find something to do. After a quick glance at the Lonely Planet and a stop at the info center I was on the subway to northern Osaka. My destination: The Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses. I suppose one might ask why of all the places to go to I chose the farm museum. Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. It wasn't my first choice. I originally wanted to go to the Human Rights Museum, but it was quite a hike. The farm museum seemed interesting and not one of your every day tourist destinations. Basically it was a museum of houses. For me I knew it would be fascinating because it would give me the chance to see how people lived. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love social history.

So, I hopped on the subway to the Hattori-Ryokuchi Park. This area was very nice. It was definitely a more upscale area of Osaka and I think there might have been a university near because there were a lot of kids my age hanging around eating. Anyways, leaving the subway station I walked straight into the park. In the middle was a very lovely rose garden. There were several groups of kids and senior citizens there, all on field trips I think. Just goes to show that everyone likes flowers.

After a short walk from the flower bed I found the museum. The museum consisted of 12 original farmhouses. All were built during the Edo period which was between the 17th and 19th century. Thankfully, many of the signs had an English translation so I was able to get some history on the houses. Some of them were small, while others were huge. It was very interesting to see how people lived. I was especially intrigued by the houses that were originally from the mountains. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that people could live so high up, where it snowed most of the year. Crazy!

I explored the museum for about an hour and a half before heading back to the area of my hotel to look around a bit more. I made the decision to walk in the direction of the Korean consulate. The further I walked the more ritzy the area got. There were so many designer stores. Within 10 blocks I probably walked by 3 Guccis, 2 Chanels, and 2 Dolce & Gabbanas, not to mention an Hermes, Burberry, Tiffany's, and Louis Vuitton, plus countless others. I was starting to feel real sloppy in my jeans and sneakers.

These past few days have given me my first taste of Japan. I would very much like to come back for a real visit one day. Maybe when I have more money.

---

Photos

Farmhouse
This one was huge!