Kansai Gaidai University

Having spent a lot of time around my university campus area, I went to Bar Jam Jam and Spiral now and again. They were ok. Down town Osaka is pretty cool. I used to hang out at Hep 5 Navi and there were some funky bars near Umeda where I used to work. American Mura was also alright too. I also really used to like going to some of the bars and restaurants in Kyoto. There were a couple of classy venues there. The vibe around Kyoto was always good. You end up going to so many places, you lose track of things.

The nightlife in Hirakata sucks. Aside from a few gaijin bars which are overrun by fratboy-type party-kids looking to give girls "English lessons", there's not really a lot to offer as far as bars go. It ranges from shameless gaijin bars (Fujiyama) to shameless gaijin bars trying to convince people they're not gaijin bars (Jam-Jam) to shameless gaijin bars posing as underground hip-hop clubs (Spyral). There's plenty of karaoke and bowling, and a lot of nice little restaurants if you look around, though.

The only problem I had with the residences was that the number of Japanese students that were allowed to live there was restricted, so it was mostly housing full of foreigners and exchange students. This made it hard to learn and pick up Japanese faster. The rooms were also mostly shared with another room mate, and there were very few single rooms altogether.

Just be open to whatever life throws at you! It will be a fulfilling experience no matter what!

When I was there, there were 2 dorms at Gaidai. I was in the older -- and preferable -- one. It was very roomy, a/c, unlimited hot water, kitchen lockers with pots, pans and dishes for each person, and very comfy futons.