Tree-hugger
Friday was Greenery Day in Japan and I had the chance to visit Kamakura with some friends. Long ago, Kamakura was the political center of Japan and is home to really amazing temples and shrines, and one very large Buddha.
More impressive to me though is the greenery in the area. I've allowed myself to get cooped up with work, getting over a cold, and a million other excuses, so when we got down there and I saw the wonderful trees, I was moved, and ended up hugging a couple. It was a weird thing...maybe I just felt disconnected from nature, but it felt great to touch and smell those trees.
Throughout the day, I couldn't one song out of my head...Mr. Rogers' Tree, Tree, Tree. Such a cool song.
Here's a slideshow of some of the amazing trees of Kamakura.
A belated happy Greenery Day to you all!
added 5/20/07:
o
I live and teach in Taipei Taiwan. They have some cute little parks in the city that are incredibly underused. I always wanted to bring a boom box and Super Simple Songs to a park and let my kids enjoy singing English songs outdoors.
I read about a kindergarten program in England that is almost entirely outdoors. Sounded like a great idea to me.
Posted by:Adam | May 07, 2007 at 01:21 AM
Living in a Big city,,, all crowed and grey, where the beat, and your own personal ambitions make us forget the little big things!!!! THanks for sharing such a beautiful slide!!! BTW, for your cold: did u try singing: Go away BIG NASTY COLD! GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!
It should work for you!! ;)
Take care! ok?
Posted by:Val | May 07, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Hey Adam...that does sound great, although I imagine the summers in Taipei are pretty rough. Spring would be perfect though. We have a Spring picnic every year in the park and usually bring along the boom box and sing a few songs. Is IS fun to sing outside.
Posted by:Devon T | May 07, 2007 at 09:49 PM
Hi Val,
I haven't tried "Go away big nasty cold!" yet, but I think hugging those trees helped. Jeremy-sensei showed me a fun way to stay healthy the other day: Laughter Yoga (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEfjVnYkqM). Looks like a fun way to start classes.
Posted by:Devon T | May 07, 2007 at 09:53 PM