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About the slide show

This slide presentation was planned before the recent havoc in Japan. Having seen so much destruction in Japan since the horrific 9.0-M earthquake hit the Tohoku Region on March 11, followed by the massive tsunami that literally washed away many towns, villages and thousands of lives, our hearts and prayers and help go out to the victims and survivors of this tragedy. It seems as though Japan has been branded in the media as a country with nothing but debris, dirt, and nuclear contamination. Inundated with these horrific negative images of Japan subsequent news seemed to progress with worsening reports and images. This is the nature of the media today and it is easy to forget that this nightmare of tragedy occurred only in the northeastern portion of Japan and the tsunami washed inland at most 10km. (6.2mi.) Let us rest our numbed brains of that tragedy and look at another part of Japan that remains undamaged.

When my former boss forwarded Jaing Lai’s slide show of “Japan in the Spring” several weeks ago (before the earthquake and tsunami) I was struck by the beauty of my mother country. Photographer Jaing Lai’s 25 pictures of Japan in the spring time captures the beauty of Japan in its essence. I’ve lived well over 2 decades in Illinois, and had forgotten the unique look of nature in Japan. The people there possess a natural talent of blending nature and man-made structures that is reflected in this exquisite group of images, so I hope you will enjoy the slide show, and remember that what you see on TV these days reflects only part of Japan.

Chizuko

近頃、以前の上司が『日本の春』というカラー・スライドのことを教えてくれました。香港の写真家が2008年に撮った日本各地の春の景色です。日本人の愛する桜、華やかな紅ツツジ、高貴な藤、無垢な山水仙、雨が最も似合うアジサイ、清らかな白肌の山脈と対照的な蒼い湖。渡米して20余年、私は日本がこんなに美しい国であったのかと、新たに感動し、その美に打たれ涙しました。自然災害に見舞われやすい環境。日本が美しい所以でもあります。テレビに映る瓦礫の山と化した日本から目を一時そらし、しばし日本の美を堪能してください。千津子