Kirei Japan

Maybe it's because I came expecting to find beauty that it seems to appear everywhere in Japan. But, it's not always in the most likely places.  Yes, Miyajima, Matsushima and Nikko were pretty, but it is the momentary glimpses that are the most breathtaking.  

A full moon with a misty halo hanging above the school soccer field.  A bright red torii gate just beyond a turn in the road.  White cranes in a green rice field set against the jagged mountains, grey in the distance. Even the cabbages with their outer leaves tied up in librarian-style looking buns  are endearing.

Yesterday, Reina and I were biking to the train station.  "ORANGES!" she yelled as we turned a corner. And there, over a dull, stone wall, hundreds of bright spheres and lush green leaves filled the sky.

My favourite is the persimmons in late fall.  Dark, gnarled trees, looking lifeless after having shed all their leaves, with plump, orange globes hanging from every branch.  

Now, I watch as other knotty trees spring to life.  White, and pink, and fuchsia blossoms like Christmas lights cover every limb and infuse the air with their sweet perfume.   

I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.