A distressing end to 2004 . . . off to a resilient and positive start in 2005.
SM writes in a state of upset from Zushi in Kanagawa Prefecture: "Recently I went through the park at Hachiman-gu in Kamakura. I love to sit by the lakeside, where the many water birds, which nest on the two islands, are my favorites.
"To my great shock I realized that all the trees (on the islands) had been cut. The smaller trees seemed to be gone completely and the big ones looked like broomsticks.