Images after Wine Induced Slumber
I live near a Buddhist temple. Each afternoon at 5 p.m. the Monk grabs the rope of the soft wooden log bell hammer and gives it a mighty swing. The hammer hits the temple bell and the sound echoes throughout the nearby neighborhoods. The sound of the bell chases away evil thoughts and spirits from …
Views of People Viewing Flowers
A breeze blew through the trees cooling the strollers along the Yamashita Park promenade. I arrived well before noon. I was happy to see people enjoying themselves in groups and walking in a carefree manner. Though the government announced the end of COVID emergency measures, some people still wore masks. Habit forming, perhaps? Not …
Photos from the Prefrontal Cortex
The title makes little sense, but I chose it because the word Prefrontal Cortex tickled my ears. How else could I introduce a series of old photos from the trunk I unearthed in the basement? The photos record snapshots of the places my feet have taken me during my long walks around Yokohama in the …
Images of Joy, Hope, and Love
JOY The road leading to the Kanagawa Prefecture Library in Yokohama is steep and passes by a sculpted couple dancing on a pedestal. Ah, dancing. One of the joys in life. In my younger days, I danced cheek-to-cheek with the women whose company I enjoyed. “Dancing is like dreaming with your feet,” Constanze Mozart (1762-1842) …
Statues of Yokohama 05: Sculptures where you least expect them
Woman Among the Bushes
Statues of Yokohama 04: The Odori Park Experience
Rodin’s Meditation The radio announcer warned of the approaching typhoon, but I was determined to get out of the apartment. For five solid days, I sat glued to my desk chair and humped over a 300-page manuscript. Painstakingly, I went line by line to root out misspelled words, ill-positioned semicolons, dangling modifiers, and other miscreants …
Statues of Yokohama 03: Vignettes in Tammachi Park
Tammachi Park is a brisk fifteen-minute walk from my apartment in Yokohama. I often walk through it on my way to a supermarket. Once in a while, I sit on a park bench and read. When I grow weary of reading, I observe vignettes of life unfolding in front of me. A mother watching her …
Statues of Yokohama 02: Mother and Child of the Sun
“Meet me in Bashamichi,” my friend texted me. He wanted to introduce me to a restaurant he recently discovered. “Where in Bashamichi?” I texted back. “In front of the sculpture.” “Sculpture?” “The one in front of the coffee shop.” A telling commentary of modern life when we refer to coffee shops as pinpoints on maps …
Statues of Yokohama 01: Bashamichi Conversation
Yokohama is home to many famous tourist sights. Among them, China Town, Minato Mirai 21, Motomachi, Yamashita Park, and the historic Yamate Bluff quickly come to mind for day trippers as destinations to enjoy and explore. Other more challenging Yokohama locations appeal to hikers and cyclists. https://www.alltrails.com/japan/kanagawa/yokohama Yokohama’s museums featuring art exhibitions of world-renowned artists …