Somewhere in Japan

Category: Nature

Dispatch № 43: The Summer Trope

Photograph showing electrical wires and a tall wall below large summer clouds building on a hot day in August. Taken in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan

It is a season for the seaside and the mountain stream. A season for eating ice pops while walking over the blistering asphalt of country roads fringed with green foxtail, the green of which has begun to fade to brown.

Dispatch № 28: The Mountains and The Sea

Photograph showing the light of a ship on the horizon at dusk. Photo taken at Tsujido Seaside Park in Kanagagwa Prefecture, Japan

If you grew up near the ocean, you likely take its presence for granted, in a way that you wouldn’t if you grew up far inland, where its existence seemed more academic.

Dispatch № 26: Cultivated Disorder

A black and white photo of a serene view at Kasumigaura Bay in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

A peaceful setting, but something feels strange. If I pay attention to ambient noises, what I hear most are the small sounds of the water, the wind rustling the tall grasses to my left, and a violent, gasoline-fuelled roar at a moderate distance.

Dispatch № 21: Windblown

Photo showing plants hanging in front of a concrete retaining wall, with curved marks showing the movement of the plants in the wind

Air is only visible to us through its interactions with the world. We all know the sound of the wind in the trees and the gentle swaying of branches. We see ripples on ponds and watch autumn leaves swirling on blustery days.

Dispatch № 14: In the Mist

Normally, this road would be busy with weekend visitors, but today it feels as if we have the mountain nearly to ourselves. For this, I can thank the weather.

Dispatch № 12: Hearing Earthquakes

Photo of the light in my kitchen, adjacent to the shelving that holds cookbooks, a microwave, and a small stereo

It’s like an impossibly large machine has just switched on, far enough away that the actual noise of it is gone, but the low rumble of its vibrations carry through the ground and into your body.

I'm sorry, I also hate popups.

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