One day in the late winter, on my way to Odakyu Machida Station in Tokyo, I decided to take a bus from Tsurukawa Station. I always take the train, but this time I wanted to discover the neighborhood by taking a different route. Thus, I got on a bus.

About fifteen or twenty minutes later, I spotted a park on my right. I got off at the next stop. It was Yakushiike Kouen (薬師池公園 ). I spent about two hours exploring the place. The cherry and the maples trees were leafless.

Last year, in the pouring rain, I visited the place again. I came with a Chinese lady friend; she had a red umbrella. She spoke to a solitary lotus blossom; she asked for blessings. She wanted to get a good job.

How fascinating it is to watch the rain transform everything it touches into a thing of deeper beauty. Every drop of rain is a momentary jewel, one teardrop.