Category: Photos

Tsuruoka, Yamagata

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At the base of a huge overhanging rock toward the sea, there stands a shrine named “Yayoke” which means ”evade arrows”. “Tateiwa”, which means “standing rock” has the same pronunciation as “shield rock” in Japanese. It is said that in ancient times, people took cover from enemy’s arrows behind this rock in a civil war.

Shimenawa and Torii — a rope and a gate specific to Shinto — are the symbols of the border between the earth and the great beyond. It is said that Gods exist in nature from old times. People have believed that especially magnificent spots would be sacred places, and many mythologies have been handed down for generations.

Our hearts, which are also beyond human knowledge, catch the wonders of nature and its Creation, divide off from our world and interpret those to be beyond human knowledge. It is not analysis but intuition, not wishes but prayers, not demand but belief.

Sakata, Yamagata

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Sought the seashore for the westering sun. The white sand overflowed into a back alley. On the wide beach were a few people to see the daylight off mutely. Waves rolled in on the sands.

Air dyed blue and scarlet together touched cheeks and breezed away. The whole sky was setting down over the sea, the whole sea was rising up to the sky gradually. The ceaseless sound of waves had already faded away from the awareness before knew it.

Or rather the consciousness unified into the sound itself. Melting into it, heartstrings would not hear the sound anymore. All we can do was to recognize the everlasting moment of dusk.

Akita, Akita

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Fly, swim, hunt, and sleep. At times sing, At times sob. Living without any school, office, lodging, nor grocery. Neither any nursery to leave children, any organ to depend on, nor any property to put in a bank.

Even though lost its one leg, standing on the water, standing on the air, it would be living as long as the Nature permits. It continues to practice the existence. From coasts to coasts, ages to ages, moments to moments. Riding the tide, sailing on air currents, with the lapse of time.

Learn, work, settle, and consume. What will we finally get when we have sold the whole ourselves out short, being buried under the material possessions. Not only one of the legs. What can we give to the world if we could devote ourselves, heart and soul.

Fukaura, Aomori

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At the water’s edge, whether the sounds abated or the heart became calm. Behind the clouds, whether the sun sinks below the horizon or the ocean covers up the sun. Toward evening, whether time is passing away or consciousness perceive transitions.

There would be no hearing when sounds do not exist, there would not be “here” when there is not “there”, there would be no time when there is no consciousness.

Time can be experienced only by consciousness. Neither time nor space does not exist without consciousness. All the things out there that we believe those presences are just experienced by consciousness in here, which involves the whole possibility.

Yokohama, Aomori

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Until 30 miles away from the shore. The things that meet your eyes would be the waters and the skies alone. On the opposite shore, a mountain can be seen dimly in the distance.

Nothing to photograph, nor to write about, nor to keep in mind, particularly. Never themes, it does not mean that we can not experience nor create anything. Creation is not producing something visible or tangible but conceiving concepts of the beautiful and expressing it physically.

As a painting is drawn on a brand-new canvas, and also an architecture is built on an empty lot, all the living things, lifeless things, arts, and emotions would be created from “Nothingness”. 

Misawa, Aomori 

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No buildings, no glaring billboards here are. Not a place to get together, nor a statue nor a tourist attraction. With your back to the sea, only the reed field stretched as far as the eye could see. It seems improbable that this place would be the destination of any trip. 

This marsh, “Hotokenuma” was reclaimed from a fresh water lake by fire and draining to make farmlands. Yet it has been left as it is for half a century owing to a policy of reducing rice acreage.

Since various species of birds, flora, mammals, amphibians, fish, and insects including some near-threatened one have been found here, subsequently, this site received national protection. This reclaimed land did not benefit us after all. However, the longer-term outlook for humanity should involve conserving the nature, not only urban or economic development. 

Hachinohe, Aomori

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Climb up to the top of a breakwater, and look around. In the direction of cities and industrial area, the air is glowing with the lights of those in the dark.

Just like trees grow in the sun, the progress of human beings has also been made under the light, literally and literarily.  As the sun lights the sight, our consciousness throws the light on the occurrence of our life.

The moon does not exist if there were no sunlight. We can not recognize the things which do not reflect the light. Neither can we ourselves exist without any light which is our faculty of perception.

Miyako, Iwate

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Walk through the pine grove, then a greenish blue seascape will peep through trees. At the end of the downward slope, you will find a quiet inlet covered with white gravel.

Ripples are lapping on the surface of the water, which is so clear that you can see through the bottom. Some seagulls are floating on it, others are gliding through the air.

The name of this shore is “Johdogahama”, which means Heaven. There would be the Beyond, beyond those rocks.

Kesennuma, Miyagi

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At 6 o’clock in the evening, there sounds The Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, known as the New World Symphony, composed by Antonín Dvořák. The people living around here listen to this every evening as a time signal.

At the same hour, at the same places, but not in the same views of the town. Making them feel pangs of the nostalgia for the past, the melody would be engraved in their memories for generations.

Now, the port appears to have regained the lights of ships and buildings. Their daily lives still go on.  However, even though the melody which we can hear in this town is identical, it has a different tone for them. Reaches From the New World.

Ishinomaki, Miyagi

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4 cranes were standing still on the shore like fishermen, in the evening twilight.  Letting the fishing lines drift across the air, underwater, and through our minds invisibly, they attempt to salvage whatever the people remember.

The persons here literally lost their homes, properties, workplaces, friends, and families, in a moment, in that tidal bore. Lost the bonds that were used to be the matter of course. Lost themselves.

4 cranes lift and put new tetrapods to develop the region again, in the morning glow. And to crane forward to see into the future.

Tomioka, Fukushima

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These towns lay in ruins after the core meltdown of the nuclear power plant in the vicinity. Weeds grow all around, farms were left to run wild, houses, stores and the entire functions as the residential quarter were abandoned.

The dose of radioactivity here still remains about 25 times higher than the safety standard that is set by ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) even after 5 years from the occurrence of the accident.

As the only country which has the cities called Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese people have been supposed to understand the serious menace of nuclear energy, deeper than any other nations in the world. 

Nevertheless, the government had been constructed an enormous number of nuclear power plants in each district. Then, we have given rise to such an irretrievable calamity by ourselves again.

Kamisu, Ibaraki

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Along the coast, 12 huge windmills line in a row. Even if the weather is fine, it would be hazy by the wet sea breeze all over the seaside. There is hardly anyone in this vast expanse of land. Just for waves and winds.

Starting revolving slowly, one of the huge windmills shrieked out at the sea. That sounded as if the earth were shaking in the cry. Notice that winds have their own moods and are showing those as they blow through us.

The shadows of the rotor blades crept around on the sand. Stroked the weathered drifts and waste articles gently. Turned faster, then a blast of wind swept the whole coast.

Asahi, Chiba

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There is no doubt that Sakura, cherry blossom is the most beloved flower as the representative of Japanese spring. We can find this pretty flowers at almost every single park, shrine, riverside, educational institution, and the like.

People spare their time to picnic under these trees and congratulate for the beginning of new season annually. The small petals would be fluttering down in the breeze.

The beauty of falling petals is frequently associated with sadness. Our wish that Sakura does not fall so soon against the reality makes us more captivated by this flower.

Tateyama, Chiba

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Sunosaki Lighthouse is one of the landmarks which forms the boundary line between Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean together with Tsurugisaki Lighthouse in Kanagawa, keeping an eye on the boats that voyage the bound.

This lighthouse is placed on the top of a slightly elevated hill. On the way there, you would find a little maze of alleys, that hides a statue of Buddism. Before getting to the top, you will pass by an old flower bed. 

Even the people from the next prefectures might feel variations in the climate, the kind of the plants and the terrain there.

Futtsu, Chiba

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At the top of a seaside observatory here, you will know how the city lights are shining brightly all around, throughout the night, even you are 20km (about 12miles) distant away from the opposite shore.

There is a small matter whether you can go up to the top of that observatory at night. This grotesque observatory has numerous stairways and landings, that are unreliable thin, swaying back and forth even in the spring breeze.

Coming down from the tottering observatory onto the ground, you must feel the gentleness and the silence of the sea breeze as much as you would be scared.

Kohtoh, Tokyo

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Tokyo, one of the largest metropolises in the universe, might be also the most lonesome lands in the world.

Despite its population of over 13,000,000, the majority of them could spend a whole day without saying any word. There are so many stores and facilities which are capable of any kinds of supplies, and they do not require us to speak or even know any word but the way to spend money. 

If you walk 30 minutes from Shinkiba-Station to the southeast and gaze at the night view around Tokyo Bay, you will see many lights coming from each isolated house, a room of buildings, a running train, the places where people are there, mostly alone.