This page: Cherry Blossoms and Concrete Contents Previous

Cherry Blossoms and Concrete

The hillsides from January through March are a dull brown; deciduous trees are reduced to wispy skeletons, and heavy coats of pollen on the cedars paint a dreary canvas. For that reason alone, the flowering of the sakura signals spring in Fujino, a sure sign that fresh green is on the way. The hills will soon display a patchwork of new emerald leaves and the darker greens of cedars and cryptomerias. I took this photo in mid-April alongside the bridge Hizure Ôhashi, the main thoroughfare joining the north and south sides of Fujino Township at its center. Cherry blossoms in April are just one of the elements of Fujino spring scenery, but here they're set against the eyesore of a local concrete factory (on the left). Okay. I have no particular beef with concrete factories per se, if one ignores their role in heavy-construction politics, pollution, and the extinction of wildlife resulting from the boondoggle of concrete river embankments. This one, at any rate, is found in a residential area immediately beside the Sagami and Akiyama Rivers, on the main road taking visitors to the Fujino Art Road, Fujino Workshop for the Arts, the Sagamiko and Kanagawa Country Clubs, the Akiyamagawa and Doshigawa campgrounds, and all other points south. This is a small point, I guess, but one might think that a town trying to reinvent itself as an "art resort"—a town offering uncommon respite to the denziens of the concrete jungle, would implement zoning laws to enhance the scenic value of the town, and to gently encourage such industries to relocate to less populated areas, out of the view of every single tourist passing through. Unfortunately, heavy construction is a simple way to grease the local political machinery, and frequently is given priority to long-range environmental and quality-of-life concerns, so nothing is said, and business goes on as usual. "Who am I, to blow against the wind?" To return to your previous location, use your browser's "BACK" button, or click your heels together three times while saying, "there's no place like home" . . .

Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
by Norman Havens nhavens@gol.com
Updated: April 20, 2002

URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/