Chester & Greta
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Here's a quick snapshot look at the neighborhood we
live in. It's called Nishishizu (West Shizu) and not long
ago was mostly farmland. The area is slightly hilly and
so in the flat areas houses share space with rice fields.
I'll put up a photo of the rice fields soon. They are
very beautiful, especially right now.
I had a lot of fun riding around with my photo
equipment. This area is quite beautiful ... I think ...
and its nice to figure out where things are. On this trip
I discovered two Shinto Shrines and one Buddhist Temple.
The shrines are very peaceful and hidden away from the
hustle and bustle. The perfect place to relax and collect
your thoughts.
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This is our street. Our apartment building is on the
left. Our window is the second, with the laundry in it.
Though it looks connected, the carport is part of the
house next door. The man there is very friendly. I passed
him one morning when taking out the garbage and our eyes
met. So I said, "O Haiyo Gozaimus" ... which means "good
morning." And in perfect English he responded, loudly,
"Good Morning." We have since talked a little more and
he's very nice.
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This is just around the corner from our place. The
gate you see is an entrance into the cemetary. It is also
the spot where me and my neighbors drop off our garbage
each morning.
Notice on the right the sculpted tree. The majority of
houses here have very little space for plants, etc. No
yards. But nearly every one has some window boxes full of
flowers or some incredibly intricate and delicate
sculpted trees or bushes.
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This is just a typical street in our neighborhood.
Narrow, with mirrors at some intersections to aid drivers
and bicyclists. Most of the houses close up their
shutters at night (they must have air conditioning) so it
is very quiet at night. The shutters keep in noise just
as well as they keep out noise. Sometimes when we walk at
night it feels as if we're walking through an abandoned
town.
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One of the nice parts of living in the suburbs is that
there actually are green spaces ... fields. This is about
two blocks from us. The road there along the trees leads
around to my favorite konbini (convenience store). Open
24 hours and just far enough away that it makes for a
nice walk to get ice cream at midnight. =:-)
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The store behind the trees is Maruetsu. Downstairs is
groceries and upstairs is clothes, home stuff and a hair
salon. The prices are a bit on the pricey side compared
to other nearby markets but the selection is wonderful.
Next door (not in the picture) is the Nishishizu Library.
Also, across the street from Maruetsu is the post
office.
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Most of the houses in our neighborhood look rather
recent. Or at least they are well taken care of. This
house struck me as being rather old. I especially like
the three. See, even if you don't paint your house a
sculpted tree in front makes all the difference.
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This is the Keisei Line which runs from Ueno Station
in Central Tokyo out to Narita Airport. All of the
schools we teach at are located within walking distance
of a Keisei Line station. I took this picture midway
between the Katsutadai and Shizu stations.
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A large percentage of the open fields in this city are
cultivated. We pass this field on the way to work every
morning. These ladies seem to be growing at least a row
of every vegetable imaginable. Yesterday I noticed that
the cabbage plants are getting big enough to start
attacking small animals.
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I mentioned before how everyone has a garden of some
sort. This fellow, I think, does this for a living. This
is but a small part of this garden and it is all quite
intricate.
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Ahhhh ... bamboo. Incredibly versatile and beautiful.
I found this small grove near one of the Shinto Shrines.
This photo and scan didn't capture the beauty of the
setting sun's light on these trees. I'll have to try
again.
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I took this at a small Buddhist Temple near our
apartment. I'm not sure what the stones represent or what
is written on them. There didn't seem to be anyone around
when I was there.
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The sun was getting low in the sky and so I was there
at the right time to get this shot. The scan isn't that
great but I like the picture. I hope you enjoyed these
photos as well.
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PHOTOS

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