Hidden Trees and Walls of Green

    One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in Japan was the use of space. It was something that I had been warned about but hadn't fully believed. Spaces small enough to be ignored in the states were filled here with whatever needs to be there-- a shrine, or small garden, or flower patch, or whatever. I know it's partially because of the lack of land mass people utilize even the smallest, little sliver of space for cultivating something, but sometimes even things left uncultivated take advantage of whatever space they can get here.

    There are several rocky outcroppings that aren't quite big enough to be mountains but are too sudden to be hills that lurk in the town where I live. While some of the stone has been carved away to make room for houses and such, the rockfaces that remain are frequently covered by greenery.

    I really like the seemingly unintended side of the nature like this in Japan. For instance, one of my favorite spaces that I see when I'm walking through my town is this lovely patch of green wall on just such a rockface. It's along the backside of a tiny parking lot, which itself is just barely squeezed between two larger buildings.

    The parking lot is almost never full of cars in the middle of the day, so my midday walks can be treated to this lovely view of so much nice greenery. It makes a really nice random remembrance of nature as I walk, and as the vines change color with the seasons, it's also a nice reminder of the changes happening all around us. I am absolutely sure it would make a lovely backdrop if I could find a way to shoot it well.

    This isn't the only random bit of nature that's thrown into my otherwise semi-urban life. I also have a fondness for any weed or plant that has the audacity to grow up through the asphalt here. Just like me, they are finding a place that isn't entirely hospitable, but making it their own and surviving. I can't help but feel a little camaraderie there.

    And then there's this lovely, strange parking lot tree that I have found on my walks. Is it an overgrown bonsai? Was this someone's lovely garden long ago, before it was sold and paved into a parking lot, and the people doing the paving just didn't have the heart to kill or transplant the tree?

    Honestly, I don't know this tree's story, but I am absolutely sure there is one. Maybe one day, I'll figure it out.