What exactly is "inaka"?

In my little town of Sakurai I have become very familiar with the term "inaka". Some might wonder, "What is inaka? What does it mean or what is it comprised of?" Let me clarify by sharing some aspects of my town that I think exemplify it's "inaka-ness".

1. The rice field to house ratio is nearly 1:1 and many of the homes included in that ratio have been long since abandoned and left to the vines.
2. The population is comprised mostly of elderly people and families with young children.
3. The rice fields and vegetable gardens that are such a large part of the landscape here are tended to by the predominately elderly community. Truly amazing because the summer heat is a force to be reckoned with. I'm truly amazed by their stoic nature.

4. At noon and 1 PM an alarm that is distinctly similar to an air raid siren sounds out. This is to announce the start and finish of lunch time to those working in the rice fields.

5. There are no new fangled organic markets that cater to the needs of special dietary restrictions like low-carb, gluten free, or even vegetarianism. In fact, many people don't even know what a vegetarian is. Or they think it means fish, chicken, and sometimes pork, are okay to eat.

6. My students, although adorable, are inescapable. I see them in the market, at the post office or bank, and especially at the local shopping mall . They live in my neighborhood and I inevitably always see them at the train station which is 10 minutes from both my house and school. They are like little spies that love reporting my whereabouts to other teachers on a daily basis. 7. Even after one year of living in Sakurai I continue to get the craziest looks; mostly from young children and elderly people while the middle-aged group tends to avoid making direct eye contact. I would say it's a look that expresses something between, "My goodness, what is it and where did it come from!?" and "THEY DO EXIST!" I have a game that I have been playing lately. If I get a stare, I give a big toothy grin. Unless the person is a complete ice queen (or king) I almost always get a bewildered smile back. It's great.

8. Any building that looks bright, flashy, fun, and generally garish is inevitably a pachinko parlor. Pachinko is a Japanese anomaly. Closely resembling a pinball machine, pachinko is a form of gambling. The parlors are deafeningly loud with the sound of metal ball bearings being bounced around. They are also filled with a haze of stagnant cigarette smoke. They are the most exciting looking thing around, and I am constantly fooled by them. An instant of, "Ahhah! What's this treasure I have found!" quickly passes when I soon realize that it is yet another pachinko parlor.


9. I live in a massive two story, four room apartment five minutes from the beach and I only pay 8500 yen a month (roughly $100).

10. BUT...my neighbor will call my landlord, who will call my school's office, who will relay the message to my supervisor...IF Joe goes outside without a shirt on. This is a true story! Joe went out for less than ten minutes on a Sunday morning to change a bicycle tire. Before long it seemed like the whole town knew about it.

11. Speaking Imabari-ben, the local Imabari dialect, while in a large city like Tokyo or Osaka would make me instantly recognizable as a country bumpkin. Not only would I sound totally uncouth, but city dwellers might not even understand me!