Komorebi

Komorebi (木漏れ日) is a Japanese word that pertains to sunlight peaking through the leaves of the trees

(Trailer credit from Wong Fu Productions)

Ever since I was young, I've always admired trees. On long commutes and car rides, I always look for a specific spot for a particular tree that caught my attention.

When I was in college, I was always on a lookout for a particularly twisted tree nestled in a the hill next to a pond in a curved road somewhere between San Francisco and Trento in my commute to and from Davao City. Sadly, the tree, along with pond, is no longer there, the hill behind it was bulldozed, and the curved road fell victim to a yearlong road-widening project by the government many years ago. Then there was that spindly tree with widespread branches in a middle of a triangle before Metro Gaisano (now Pacific Mall) in Mandaue City, Cebu. Lastly, there is a scenic stretch of asphalt in the middle of the the Man-made Forest in Loboc, Bohol, whose topmost branches are so intertwined that they formed an exquisite cathedral roof overhead.

When I had the opportunity to visit Japan last year, I was so enamored with the variety of multicolored trees in the countryside. Though famous for its sakura (cherry blossom) trees, I was enchanted by the canopies that looked like colorful cauliflowers in the distance as we were driving by the country roads. How I wish I could go back and see them again. We just missed the cherry blossom season when we arrived there in late spring and left too early for autumn when the leaves turn into a dazzling display of colors.

While I fondly reminisce of the brief vacation in Japan, below is the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto that inspired my nostalgia today.

In the meantime, I have a fantastic view of coconut trees gently swaying in the wind from my window.