Even though it is winter here in Tokyo, the autumn leaves are still coming. It seems that they arrived so late that the gingko leaves are carpeting the ground in their warm yellow hues.  The leaves are splattering over the land and bringing some much needed color to the often dreary grays of the urban life.

It is rather simple, isn’t it?

Leaves change and in do time they fall from their branches and drift down to the earth.  They will blow this way or that way for a while before some one comes along and sweeps them all into a plastic garbage bag.  But I have chosen to see them in their glory.  As they stick closely to the ground.  They cover, changes, and become part of my urban landscape, intermingled with those yellow hues that only the gingko tree can bring.

This lone clear vinyl umbrella was sitting pretty in the cold rain this morning.  As the commuters all shuffled off to work muttering how cold it was under their breath this one umbrella just paused for a rest under a tree.  Never to be forgotten, and not smoking it sat and watched all the people hustle into the station.