How are you all doing?
It has been a year since I left for the United States last June (1969), and my time as a student abroad is drawing to a close.
I would like to take this opportunity to summarize my experiences and report on my current situation.

It’s not quite McLuhan’s “Global Village,” but I’m sure you’re all already aware of the major topics here.
Therefore, I’ll narrow the focus of my report to “The University and the Town.”

By the way, “Penn State” in the title is the nickname for my university, Pennsylvania State University.

State College

The town where I live, State College, is located in central Pennsylvania, roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which lie at the eastern and western ends of the state.
It is a college town in every sense of the word. Of the town’s 40,000 residents, 25,000 are Penn State students.

Consequently, everything in town revolves around students. Most town events are either organized by students or aimed at them, and the primary customers at local shops are, of course, students. Interestingly, many of the shop clerks, restaurant and bar waiters and waitresses, and movie theater ushers are part-time students.

State College is surprisingly quiet in the summer. That’s because the students are gone. Dormitories and apartments stand empty.
Faculty and townspeople alike take a long vacation and go traveling. Consequently, many places are “closed for the summer,” and when I first arrived in town, I was taken aback by how deserted it was.

(Click here for a snapshot from that time).

Then, with the start of the fall semester, students, professors, and townspeople all return, and State College regains its vitality.

Perhaps because most entertainment is centered on campus, the town’s entertainment options are limited to movie theaters, bars, and a few small arcades.

Speaking of movie theaters, do you know what this is?

G – GP – R – X – XXXX (or Adult Only)

These are the movie ratings in Japan, ranging from general audiences to adult-only.

The bars in State College are geared toward students.
However, you need an LCB card (proof of being 20 or older) to get in. I go to the LCB bars pretty often, but sometimes I get mistaken for being under 20, which is annoying. (Even though I’m 29.)

Bars in State College aren’t just different from Japanese bars—they seem completely different from typical American bars as well.
From go-go bars to places that resemble karaoke cafes, they’re all packed with students. They sing, dance, and chat over beer that costs 30 cents a glass—it’s the time of their lives.

Part1 Reading (5:26) on