You can take the girl out of Fresno . . .

The geography of Fukushima, being between two mountain ranges, causes the city to be really windy especially during the transition between seasons. Sometimes the strong winds can be incredibly annoying, but today they provided the perfect cool breeze for an ideal run around town. Today I ran on the paved walkway along the base of Shinobuyama again, but this time instead of exploring up the mountain I followed the trail to its end. Again I was impressed by the beauty of the path, and of all the little flowers starting to bloom. When I reached the end of the trail I found myself at a river bank and decided to walk along there and enjoy the view. It was so incredible to watch people walking their dogs, and really appreciating their surroundings. Maybe it's the Fresno in me, but I find something so comforting in feeling dirt beneath my shoes as I look out at a flowing river lined with trees just waiting to burst into hundreds of pink blossoms. Later I came upon a small flower/plant farmer's market set up along the bank, and as strange as it sounds, taking the time to look at all the plants made me feel like part of the community. Although the neon lights and loud music of Tokyo can be very appealing, I think I will have a more meaningful experience in the smaller, quieter town of Fukushima.

Seeing people walking their dogs made me think of when I would take my own dog, Bailey, for runs over in the fields at Fresno State. I'll take pictures of Fukushima next weekend, but until then here are some pictures of my runs in Fresno.