In the Woodland, Near the Bridge

This small fort is very hidden. I’ve visited it for several years now, but it was harder to find this year. At high tide, the water can come up nearly to it, and if you add rain, it could be a dangerous place. But right now, as you walk through the bushes and grass, the air becomes thick with bugs, many mosquitoes and gnats, and your clothing is covered with green, yellow and black inch-long worm-like creatures. When a nearby train stops and the cars shift, you are physically moved by the slack action. This noise is caused by the couplers between train cars having small gaps, allowing for some movement when the train stops and starts. As the train comes to a halt, the cars bunch together, closing those gaps and creating a banging sound as the couplings collide. The sound echoes up and down the entire train, which can be 50 cars or more long. You hear this thundering crack and boom, boom, boom, and it hits you like a wave.

In The Winter Garden

The cold has reached below zero, and the garden is empty as can be. Half-finished tasks wait to be completed. A pheasant, red ring, flies by unexpectedly and startles me. Small birds flutter from bush to bush, looking for any remaining seeds.

Osaka, Thursday, 4 aM

Osaka, Thursday, 4 a.m. The shadows seem to try to be menacing. The streets want to be empty.

Yakushima Island 2024

I’ve returned to Yakushima Island to complete a project on the visual chaos found in the deep rainforest. Several pathways were blocked, and many trails had washed out in severe weather over the past few months. This led us to new areas of the forest, and more encounters with very unconcerned deer and monkeys.