Walking in Shogen

 This is the local police station. These little stations are one reason that you see police frequently. They come in a car and then patrol on bicycle. Many of these small stations are more or less randomly occupied, as far as I can tell. They all seem to have small bedrooms and sometimes are occupied for 24 hours at a time.

 This is a supermarket that closed. It appears that the stores in Izumi Chuo are doing okay but some of the stores that are relatively near by, and are old, are not profitable. People are going to the newer stores that are a bit further from the station.

 This is the Shogen Post Office and, as you can see, the earthquake damage is finally being repaired.

 The Shogen cherry trees are beautiful in spring. They are even pleasant to see at this time of year when the first leaves are beginning to fall.

 At the foot of the cliff which marks the boundary with Izumi Chuo, there is a large pond. Usually this would be all water but the level in very low this year.

The top of this small hill boasts a housing area, but the cut for the road did not survive the quakes untouched. To support the wall they have place this row of oversized sandbags. The actually cracks in the ground have been covered with blue tarps to keep the water out.

Still walking

 This old building seems to be made up of a number of parts that were added at different times. It seems to be a store of some kind and to still be in operation, but not to the general public. Probably it is a wholesaler. Whatever the case is, I do like the building.

 Here I was about two kilometers from home. This hill leads up to an area called Shogen. It covers the land on the top of the cliff that forms the northern bounder of Izumi Chuo.

 This bamboo fence separates to houses. Bamboo is an incredible material. It can be used for construction and also for making smaller things like chopsticks and dishes. It also grows really fast.

 The houses in this area have their cooking gas delivered. In my condo we have city gas which arrives by pipe, not truck.

 This is typical summer fashion, particularly for slightly older women. The black sleeves are not part of the shirt and are to protect the wearer from sunburn or even sun tan. The black umbrella keeps the hot summer sun from shining directly on the user.

This is a little park. It, like the rest of the public land, is only mowed a couple of times a year, so that it is usually overgrown and not usable for much except walking dogs. School children in Japan do not have time to go out and play like I did as a child, so you normally only see adults in the small neighborhood parks.

Around the neighborhood

 The nights are getting cooler and some trees are beginning to lose their leaves.

At the end of Suisen Dori (Daffodil Road), the building that was destroyed in the quakes is almost gone.

 Walking around the neighborhood, I found more evidence of the reconstructions process. I have heard that the daily rate for a construction worker has now doubled.

 Here is another view of the remains of the building at the end of Suisen Dori.

 Further up the road, another building is being torn down. However, it looks like they are only removing a portion of the structure. The main portion in the back will remain, if all the indications are correct.

 A few buildings further they were starting to tear down another building.

 This temple had some structural damage to the grounds and maybe to some of the buildings.

Here is another home that is being repaired. All of the above pictures were taken while walking along a section of a single road that was less than half a mile long.

Nanakita Park

 Near my condo the local people have at great cost filled in the area behind the levee and in front of their houses. Also they have gone to the local government to get permission to use this new surface as a garden. The ward office said that they had less than a week to bring photos showing the plants, so they have been planting rows of flowers. They say that next year they will make are really good looking layout but that the current one is mainly for the government.

 The riverside on the way to the park is very picturesque. In the distance you can see someone fishing.

 This is the looking east toward my condo, which may be visible in the distant distance, from the west side of Nanakita Park.

 Here is what the river looks like in the middle of the park.

 This is one of the things that I definitely do not like about Japan. People just leave their trash in public places. They will pick up at home and keep private places spic and span but in parks and along roadsides they just drop things. Here someone has eaten lunch in the park and left the bags and empty food packages on the bench.

It has finally begun to cool off and the trees have started to change color. This tree turns to a deep purple that I find to be particularly pleasing. I have read that New England in the US and Japan are the only two places in the world where in the autumn the leaves turn to a variety of colors. Apparently other places in the world are monochrome in the fall.