1985 … Afloat on the Sea of Humanity
I vividly remember visiting nearby Osaka Castle, and yet the memory that still proves most indelible is not the majestic castle itself, but rather the sea of equally-risen, black-haired heads that seemed to stretch to the horizon when I exited the subway there – like a dark, silky, chest-high carpet of mostly-smiling humanity …
“There is a difference between arrival and entrance. Arrival is physical and happens all at once. The train pulls in, the plane touches down, you get out of the taxi with all your luggage. You can arrive at a place and never really enter it; you get there, you look around, you take a few pictures, you make a few notes, you send postcards home. When you travel like this, you think you know where you are, but, in fact, you have never left home at all. Entering, on the other hand, is a completely different experience. You cross over more slowly, in bits and pieces, and yet once you cross over you cross over fully & completely … It’s like awakening slowly, over a period of weeks. And then one morning, you open your eyes and you are finally there, really and truly immersed in the place you have been all along.” ~ inspired by Jamie Zeppa
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