Hey everyone! I’m thrilled to share that I just got accepted to Ritsumeikan University’s Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC) for graduate studies in Policy Science, focusing on Comparative Politics, starting this fall! I’m super excited to kick off my life in Japan and dive into the OIC community. Seeking advice for living in the surrounding area, like is it English-friendly? Btw, I also do a lot road cycling, is Osaka a bicycle friendly city? Is there any unique rule I should follow, and is there any recommended cycling community here? Thank you for all the advice!
by Lazy_Theme8776
7 comments
Osaka is THE bicycle city. You have them just everywhere. Also is quite English friendly so do not worry about it. Welcome to Osaka!
Why are you asking about Osaka City? Ibaraki is rather far from Osaka City and is much less bike friendly due to roads, mountains, hills, etc.
Parts of it are fine, but it’s nothing like Osaka City.
No rules really, just make sure your bicycle has headlights in the night and to make sure its on your name, a friend has been stopped by the cops once and questioned regarding the owner of the bike.
I cross you uni by road and just know that it has a pretty big hockey ground. I hope you enjoy.
Welcome! You’ll love it. Wear a helmet. Consider inexpensive bicycle insurance. If you have an accident, you will be happy you have it.
https://work.boworld.co.jp/en/articles/read/how-to-apply-for-bicycle-insurance-in-japan-1911120
Check out the link.
I recommend having it (but shop around).
So I actually go to OIC, so I can answer some of these questions (though i’ve only been there for about 4 months of my 2 and a bit years).
The university is fairly good for english, and will help
organise an accompanying translator for most of the local city stuff like registrations and insurance. The surrounding area is English-friendly in the sense that you don’t really have major issues if you don’t speak the language, but I would say that people outside campus in surrounding area don’t really speak much of it. They’re just a bit more patient with you not knowing cause there are so many english speakers at the uni that filter out into the surrounding area. You’re still gonna need to translate a lot of menus and learn the basics of asking prices/buying in Japanese.
If you’re staying in one of the two international dorms, the good news is they’re filled with people who speak English (or Chinese, Spanish lots of other languages etc.). If you live off campus though, you might have trouble breaking into a friendship group. People at the uni here can be kinda insular, though i’ve heard some of the post-grads specialities can be a bit better (mainly STEM). Further, most circles (activity group/extra curricula’s) are Japanese language only which definitely makes it more difficult. An American I met recently however did suggest that the sports groups were a bit more accepting.
On cycling, there are zero issues cycling around Ibaraki. It’s fairly open on the sides, and you can open up speed wise here a bit more here compared to Osaka which is painful to bike in personally (I hate stopping and starting). OIC has a massive biking storage lot, a lot of students ride to school. I’m not personally sure on road etiquette though. This is Osaka and imo if you ask 5 people here about what to do when cycling they’ll likely give you 5 different answers.
Congrats on getting into the uni btw, I hope you end up enjoying! If there’s anything else you’re curious about with the campus or whatnot feel free to ask me and i’ll try and answer as best I can
We will be neighbors, and I would love to go on rides. We should link up!
There are some rules for bicycles.
1. Have Insurance
2. Registering and putting stickers on the bike
3. Should ride right-hand side on the roadways, pavement is an exception. Pedestrians have priority
4. Wear a helmet
All that said, almost nobody cares 3 and 4.