A letter to connect with residents in local care homes. đź’—
The text of the letter:
Dear Friend,
I hope you are well. I am writing to you again to share another photo and another story. My hope is that while we are stuck inside during this dreadful pandemic that these can help brighten both our days. I get to remember my past times out and you get to imagine them yourself.
The enclosed photo was taken last Spring in rural northern Japan. I had just finished my Masters of Art Photography degree and decided I needed to push myself further with a challenging trip. I got exactly that.
When I arrived, I found that there was essentially no English spoken in the area. My Japanese consists of only a few pleasantries like hello and thank you, so I found myself hugely isolated for the whole week there.
But the isolation was not at all unbearable. In fact, during that time, I was mostly very calm (despite a volcano erupting on the 4th day!) and overwhelmingly happy. This photo is of a very small Shinto shrine that is up on a steep hill in a farming district. I struggled a bit to find it and stopped to “ask” a local elder farmer. I wish I had a video of our “conversation”.Â
In the end, I did find it and it was worth the effort. There is such a sense of calm in these places. I hope the photo can transmit the same to you.
Fondly,
Athena
