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.
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.
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.
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.
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. =:-)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
