Bamboo!

My Japanese Friend (1995)

Sayori Takebayashi was a co-worker of mine in Japan for quite a few years.

When I first met her, as asked what her name characters stood for and immediately started calling her 'Bamboo-san' (the 'take' character means bamboo).

She liked it, and eventually most of the office called her Bamboo.

River Grass

Along the Tamagawa River

The Tamagawa is a major river in Central Japan.

Angie and I used to live a few blocks away from the river, in Tachikawa, a city west of Tokyo.

We played volleyball there, rode bikes, and even swam a couple times. Mostly, we - like most of the folks there - just relaxed, enjoying the fresh air and views of Mount Fuji.

These are wild grasses that grow along the riverside. They rustle in the summer breeze, somehow making the humidity feel just a little less oppressive.