hanami, Kure

five months of Summer

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August 14th 2004
Early March in Tokyo. Spring beckons. Shop windows display softer hues and lighter wares. Sitting still for a moment on a park bench. Wind blows, birds twitter, leaves rustle, traffic swirls, glides , scrapes, travels, presses into the narrow stream. Giant concrete rectangles, perforated with glazed eyes, silent, anonymous. Bright plum blossoms. Salary man, a silhouette beneath the tree between t ... read more

Asia » Japan » Hiroshima

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more