hamayu

hamayu, originally uploaded by vibromama.

“Hamayu” is a large plant that grows naturally in the immediate vicinity of the sea, colonizing the difficult niches of the salty, shifting sands. It seems to love drought and heat, and chooses to flower in the middle of the summer’s heat wave. Scoffing at the sun’s heat and the hardships incurred by the ocean, this plant has won the enthusiasm of the Japanese, who strongly categorize nature into that which is utterly worthless and only to be conquered and overcome (about 95%) and that which is to be admired. And so, hamayu is often seen in Kyushu planted along coastal highways and in ornamental gardens. In this impromptu Fukashima garden, within a stone’s throw of the sea near a concrete seawall and overhung by the ubiquitous phone and power cables, these hamayu thrive hardly minding the encroachment of humans and their incongruous things.