{top, Bugis Street / jacket, Fox / pants, H&M / shoes, Doctor Martens}
I’m a city
girl, through and through—I like being surrounded by a concrete jungle, I enjoy
the comforts of air-conditioner and internet access, and just basking in the
general feeling of being in the twenty-first century. It’s odd that in Japan, I
could let the chilly mountain air replace the air-conditioner, and seeing the
greenery up close fascinated me far more than any photo on a digital screen
could ever hope to.
Standing in
the freezing air in summer clothes (it was around 9 degrees Celsius), with my
frozen hands wrapped gingerly around my camera, I felt something akin to freedom. Mount Fuji was
a magnificent sight to behold, all dark and jagged and covered in layers of
pure white snow, basking in cushions of translucent, flimsy clouds. We were
lucky enough that the mountain saw fit to emerge from behind the curtains of
fog and clouds to allow us a glimpse of its majestic silhouette for a few
minutes before it retreated again. It was a sublime feeling, and I even managed
to capture the beautiful flight of a strikingly handsome bird (though it may
have just been a common crow).
The Hirayu
Great Falls were a rushing burst of exhilaration and wonder, all packed into
one large fall of sparkling water. I stopped so many times to take photos of
the miniature flowers and dewy leaves hidden within the grass that I lagged far
behind the entire group, but it was worth it—if you look closely, you can see a
small piece of dandelion fluff falling off the main head of the flower.
A
traditional Japanese dinner and futon awaited us at our hot springs hotel, and
I must admit that I was completely befuddled at the array of plates and bowls
in front of me, and in the end my hunger manifested itself into something like “I
don’t care which bowl I’m supposed to eat first, I’m just going to eat whatever
is nearest to me and looks good.”.
And even
now, looking back at these photos, I miss the cleanliness, the purity of that
place—imagine that, me, a city girl, missing the mountains.
xx
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