Reconfiguring April

April was a pretty crazy month. Isn't it T.S. Eliot who says "April is the cruelest month' in The Wasteland? Well, April went by like a flash. I came back from New York, and then before I realized it was May. In Japan, April is marked by the sakura season and fresh beginnings - at the workplace, in school... For me, it marked a lot of beginnings and endings, but for most part it was more of a reconfiguration - of priorities, life goals, people in my life...

Here is a random sampling of photos I took, beginning with these budding cherry blossoms which I *think* was taken at Senri-park in Minami-senri



Wilting sakuras at Osaka University....I'm not sure I'm such a big fan of such transient plants...

These sakura outside my house bloomed a little late...

For once, the walkway to school actually looked attractive
Sakura-ed out? So was I. Moving on...

The stunning panoramic backdrop that marks the entrance to Kobe University's International student center

At Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, where I had the most delicious sushi and the most awful food poisoning within hours...: (

Mushroom basil tomato stroganoff (sp??) with Gouda and cheddar. Twas yummy.

Hiking in Kanonmine Mountain (Guan yin feng san), Nara...here is the route we took: (courtesy of Kei)



The magnificent forests we hiked in


On the top of the world...not quite (courtesy of Kei)

That's probably Sanjogatake Mountain in the distance, one of the few dastardly places in the world which forbid female climbers...

More breathtaking mountains...