Hasama

How about some pictures of Y.E.S.? I’m glad you asked. Here are some pictures of the neighborhood. Y.E.S. is located in the city of Hasama. Hasama is on the outskirts of Oita City. Oita City is the capital of Oita Prefecture (A prefecture is kind of like a state). We are located near a few public schools. A very large medical school is also nearby. We don’t have the best location because it’s impossible to lease a building with pets. However, if at some point our business is successful enough, we will think about purchasing a building near the main road. It’s one step at a time for us. Right now, we need to focus our attention on gathering materials and designing lesson plans that are appealing to all age groups.

Hasama is one of the fastest growing cities in Kyushu. It’s easy to see why. Hasama offers something for everyone. Plenty of walking trails, shopping malls, a large cultural center, even fast food restaurants. Hasama is made up of people who want to enjoy the countryside, but they also want the conveniences of a city. Many of the homes are recently built and considered large by Japanese standards.

 

If you look closely at the pictures, you’ll notice that the homes are western style. I like to call them “boxes”. Most of the new homeowners don’t expect their home to last more than 20 years. I think it’s because of the materials. The construction is similar to western style homes, but the materials are thinner and mostly made of plastic and laminate.

The walking paths in Hasama get plenty of use from the local residents. This was appealing to us and the dogs. Another nice feature about Hasama is that it’s close to the bay. When the roads are too difficult to drive in the mountains, we can stay in Hasama. It rarely snows here. 

Speaking of snow, Erika informed me that she saw some snowflakes mixed in with the light rain. The first snow in Tsukahara and it’s only November. I’ll try to take some pictures when I get home.  George

Note: This view is from Hasama. Mount Yufu is the volcano on the left. Mount Tsurumi is the volcano on the right. Tsukahara is on the opposite side of these volcanoes. It's a 45 minute drive home.