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Hello!

Recently, I wrote an article for the Niihama Newspaper, so I thought I would share that here since I am one of the few people who live in Niihama.

A New, Deep Appreciation for Niihama
Alexandra Winkler
I am so thankful to be living in Japan, and even more thankful to be living in Niihama. Niihama is nicely located about equidistant from both Matsuyama and Takamatsu as well as offers a smaller city feeling while still being considered a rural part of Japan. To me, it is the best of both worlds. After living in Niihama for about 2 months, I traveled to Fukuoka and was instantly overwhelmed by the amount of people and flustered by the long lines to eat at restaurants. The pace of life seemed so fast there and I was happy to come back to the slower paced Niihama city.

Something that really stands out to me about rural Japan is how amazingly nice the people are. In comparison to a large city like Fukuoka, I feel like it’s a lot easier to say hi to someone walking down the street here. Most people are friendly enough to say hi back or start a conversation with me, unlike Fukuoka where everyone was too busy to slow down and meet someone new. There are many nice and polite people throughout Japan but this gave a very welcoming feeling to Niihama. The slow pace along with the helpful people helped me adjust to life in Japan. Even the city office had an English translated paper on how to sort your trash! I felt so at home in the first few weeks of being here.

I grew up in the United States in a city named St. Louis located in the state of Missouri. It is larger than Niihama yet smaller than Fukuoka. St. Louis has been named multiple times as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. I can remember going out with friends in the city, hearing gunshots and everyone nonchalantly saying “Oh, I guess it’s time to go home now.” because it was so common to hear on a Saturday night. In Japan, this isn’t a problem and I have never felt safer.

Not only are guns not a problem here in Japan, but the polite and respectful culture also helps cultivate this feeling of safety. For instance, I can leave my bike outside of a convenience store and not worry about it being stolen. Not only the bike, but I can also leave belongings in the basket of the bike and not have to worry about them being gone when I return. That is something I have never experienced before in my life. In America, I would be hesitant on even leaving my bike outside without thoroughly chaining it to something, and even then, chains have been known to be cut and bikes stolen. Most people here respect others’ belongings and that is truly something I am very thankful to experience.

Niihama offers peace and tranquility, especially in the evening and at night. Something I have discovered that I love doing is walking around the city at night. In St. Louis, you have to be very cautious when walking around in the evening, especially by yourself. Because of that, I never went out walking at night by myself. Here however, I don’t have to worry about walking around at anytime whether I am by myself or not. While in Fukuoka, the city remained bustling into the early hours of the morning. The sounds and lights of the city never dwindled which made it hard for me to relax. It did not have the same quiet environment Niihama has in the evening. I can relax here and take in the calm atmosphere while being worry-free walking around.

Another thing Niihama has is such a close proximity to an abundant amount of beautiful landscapes and parks. When I first arrived, I was amazed by the sight of the mountains. Raised in the midwest region of the United States, I grew up surrounded by corn fields and plains outside of St. Louis city which I found very boring and dull. Ehime mountains on the other hand, are so beautiful and lush with gorgeous foliage during both the fall and the spring leaving me and many others awestruck.

The tranquility, surrounding beauty, safety, and welcoming atmosphere are the things I really appreciate about Niihama. Before moving to Japan, I went to Tokyo for the first time on vacation in May 2017. It was my first out of country experience and I immediately knew I wanted to live here and started applying for jobs as soon as I returned home. I had the choice to live in the Shikoku region or Tokyo and I am very happy I chose to live in Shikoku. After living in rural Japan, I have a new, deep appreciation for it and I am very excited to spend the next year of my life here.

Hi, I’m Alex from St. Louis, Missouri. I work as an English teacher at an Eikaiwa here in Niihama. You may see me walking or riding my bike around the city or you can definitely find me at Aeon Mall studying Japanese and/or Korean. If you see me, please say hi and let’s talk!