A beautiful shrine built on piers above the Hiroshima bay. Its original construction began in the 6th century, according to Wiki. In front of the main shrine lies an enormous torii gate, standing by itself in the bay’s clear waters, approachable by foot during low tides. I could sit on the wooden pier for hours.
Always opt for a window seat. You never know what amazing things you’ll see 40,000 ft /12,000 m in the air.
How do you know you’re on vacation? When you’re setting out to start your day and every single other person is in corporate attire, heading in the opposite direction.
“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.” –Earl Wilson
Still heading toward the Capitol Building in the Last of Us. The city’s in ruins, but what’s new. We carefully make our way through a toppled skyscraper, hoping it doesn’t buckle and collapse from the rain and decay.
Sorry, not rock ‘n’ roll…but something cooler, maybe. Temppeliaukio is an epic church in Helsinki, constructed directly inside a solid mound of excavated rock. Because, why not? Solid rock? Challenge accepted.
Its roof is a giant copper dome. Its ceiling is a giant copper disk, held up by hundreds of slits and bars circling the edge of the church. Natural light filters in from the slits above; excellent acoustics reflecting off of the natural rock walls. The visual and aural senses are…tickled…
Compared to nature, mankind’s power is nothing but delicate, feeble strings, dangling in the wind. High voltage power lines carry up to 100,000 Volts of electricity, but a lightning strike from a soft, fluffy cloud? Up to several 100,000,000 Volts.
We are insignificant.
In my previous post about Shinjuku Wildlife, I talked about the varieties of animals that can be found among parks throughout Japan. To an equal degree, I can say the same about the diversity of park plants. Mind you, I’m not talking about national parks and forests; I’m talking about city parks sitting one block away from the nearest Starbucks!
Japan loves plants as much as they love cats. Maybe not as much as they love cats though, because come on, cats power the internet. But their passion for plants is evident by the distinction of their “Japanese gardens” — the name itself makes it special. The Japanese also invented bonsai, a celebration (or torture for you cynical folks) of miniaturized trees living within ornate ceramic containers. With the widespread popularity of plants and bonsai culture, it’s easy to see why we see trees like these in parks like those in Shinjuku.
Japan’s parks are beautiful sanctuaries, often found in the center of the urban sprawl. Their entrances are interdimensional portals that transport you from the hustle and bustle of the city to the peace and quiet and of the garden. Each park is its own small ecosystem, where wildlife abounds. You not only see birds chirping in the trees and koi swimming in the ponds. Ducks, egrets, cranes, turtles, cats, and cicadas can also often be found making their homes in these everyday Japanese parks. In some, you may even find monkeys and deer!
While taking a relaxing stroll through Shinjuku park, in the center of cosmopolitan Tokyo, this snake decided to drop in and ssssay hi :3
Resuming our previous adventure with The Last of Us, we continued our struggle with food rationing and lack of government. Everything was a mess with the ongoing quarantine efforts, and the Firefly attacks only served to tighten police efforts in the area. We had a small…run-in…with Robert, but that’s been resolved. Now making our way to the capitol building…
izrofel 