On a sunny autumn day with leaves of trees changing color – a skeletal burnt out remains of the building with its exposed metal dome framework at its apex can be seen from across the Ota River with office buildings around it and tourists strolling around its perimeter. A somber reminder of the tragic enormity of a nuclear bomb that was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 by a Western power on an Asian country which instantly obliterated the city and killed thousands of unarmed civilians including innocent children. Genbaku Dome was the only structure left standing near ground zero and has been preserved as a memorial for symbol of peace. The city has risen from the ashes again thanks to the indomitable spirit of the Japanese people. From a photo taken in fall of 2018. © 2018

Under a partly cloudy sky, a vermilion Torri gateway to the Itsukushima Shinto shrine on the sacred Miyajima Island, Japan. The tide has begun to come in as the photo was taken. During high tides in the bay this wooden Torri appears to be floating but it can be approached at low tide. The shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu Goddess of sea and storms. Stone lanterns can be seen in the distance to the left side and Mt. Missen in the backdrop. The word Torri comes from the Sanskrit language Torana, a sacred gateway. Torris in Japan and China have been derived from India along with Hinduism and Buddhism.  From a photo taken in fall of 2018.  © 2018