Photo of the Week #298

May 20, 2024
Toshio Shibata made this photograph in the late autumn, right at the moment when trees drop their leaves and open up lines of sight that are occluded in more verdant seasons. What Shibata discovered was this roadway bridge nestled into the mountainous landscape, like an ancient Buddhist temple perched on a mountainside.  Roughly 70% of Japan is covered by mountainous terrain, so builders of expressways and temples alike have had to learn to accommodate the natural landscape. Shibata has devoted himself to looking at the way that these human-made structures are cleverly intertwined with the wooded mountainsides. Chichibu City, which is two hours northwest of Tokyo, is a popular destination for viewing the changing leaves, and Shibata makes a beautiful record of the poetic conversation between the yellow painted bridge, and the autumnal colors speckling the landscape around it.