Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Autumn Leaves

The little maple out in front of the Guest Home is showing some lovely colors. The leaves have also started to fall. In Japan, each property owner takes responsibility for the sidewalk and or street adjacent to their building. In many neighborhoods in the early morning the women come out to sweep, and to socialize, sharing the latest news of the day.

It can be a way for foriegners to show willingness to help with the work in the neighborhood and to begin to understand how this society functions.

1 comment:

Jaime Marie Pinckard said...

Wow, I had no idea that the Japanese took such care of their surroundings! My sensei always mentioned the fact that the Japanese were an interesting mixture of naturalism and industrialism, of the old and the new, but I never really understood how that could be. Thank you for providing this insight; what an amazing opportunity to emulate Christ in a very culturally sensitive way.