Friday 12 October 2012

And the gods of Shinto wept - over zealous pruning.

A week or two back, on my way home from work I was confronted with a terrible, and yet perennial sight...  In the morning when I went out, these were trees; on my return... post apocalyptic.... ravaged trunks. Stark, naked... the Agent Orange effect... it happens all the time at this time of year...  According to Hiro, the most likely rationale is that it saves the surroundings from ..... autumn leaf litter.
Shinto is supposed to be a nature worship religion... Japan prides itself on being a nature country attuned to the seasons (though it doesn't take too long being here before that becomes bitterly ironic).... the gods of Shinto must have looked and wept. 
 
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5 comments:

Rurousha said...

I hate it when they do this, and if they're really doing it to avoid leaf litter, then curse them all. This is sacrilege. I can't think of any other word. AAARGH!

Theresa said...

I laughed when I saw this, then felt guilty for the poor trees. Ridiculous.

Cecilia said...

I was so shocked. I took the pics a day or two before it came up on MIJ... I'm not usually given to plant empathy, though the ethnic cleansing of kusa tori day and the whole concept of weeds is starting to bother me... but it really upset me. They didn't deserve it... so much for koyo in this part of Tokyo. Lamentable.

SomedaysSarah said...

A severe case of cutting off your nose to spite your face!!

Cecilia said...

A very apt summation. :(