As the summer approaches, the sunshine becomes stronger and the city starts to shine as well. Seattle is located in the long and narrow area that extends from south to north between the mountains in the east and the bays and the lakes in the west. It has many slopes, so I take breaks to heal the fatigue of my legs watching the seasonal showcases.

Between seasons, people wear a variety of clothes and it's interesting to watch them. On a sunny day I sweat a little, but I feel comfortable because the air is dry and as long as I stay in the shade and feel the cool breeze from the bay.

For high school students, June is a season for graduation. The high-teen girls have just finished attending the ceremony and walk happily in the city. I'm overwhelmed by their energy and I feel I don't have any presence. There were many photographers in front of me, but I stepped forward emulously for many times to aim my camera. When I said "Congratulations!" to them, everyone smiled and said "Thank you!" to me. I was so relieved. If they had ignored me, I would have been deeply depressed. In fact, I was a little scared.

In the afternoon, the terrace is shaded and people gather to talk and to read. As I see an ordinary scene like this, my heart is moistened and happy to be able to spend time taking photography.

I like open bars because I can stay there as long as I want with just a light meal or a cup of coffee even if I don't order any alcohol.

Every year, I notice I see many people smiling more in this period between spring and summer. The cold rainy winter is over, and now the sun warms the soil. The grass containing plenty of water turn to green and the flowers are in full bloom everywhere. And, such condition should relieve people's hearts and muscles.

Whenever I see happy looking people, I also feel light as if I had received their aura. Isn't it a sort of psychotherapy?

In terms of the latitude, Seattle is a northern country. But, as the weather becomes nicer, I see many women wearing like Californians living just south of this West Coast and the city becomes lively. It was a late afternoon in the waterfront bay. There was a bossa nova song in my head while I was shooting

In this season, I make it a rule to arrive at this concert hall earlier. The soft sunshine through the large grass window lights up the entire hall and I feel so comfortable. It's so shiny and transparent like musical notes played by a string instrument and I feel as if they have already started playing the introduction part. In such a mood, I think of tonight's program. What a luxurious time.

The weather is also pleasant in the suburbs. The breeze from upstream brings the coldness of the water and I see water birds are running on the water surface making ripples. The young leaves become deep green and emit rich scent. And, I take a short break under a tree surrounded by the perfect temperature. When I look up, I see the blue sky with clouds. As I strain my eyes, I feel like I may be sucked in the sky.

When I went to Tokyo last month, I visited "Ballet studio KK international" located in Futago Tamgawa and run by Kiyoka Kimura. I took a look at the lesson for the first time. It was a lesson for teenaged boys and girls who seemingly had been dancing since their childhood and wanted to become professional dancers. I was moved by the strict and long practice session that required advanced skills. And, recently I listened to the live performance of all the numbers of the "Daphnis and Chloe," a ballet music by Ravel and I became more interested in ballet. I hear that the music is based on a Greek mythology, which is a fantastic romance story. The musical expression is elegant, sensitive, and dynamic. Because it also includes chorus, there's no boring part between the numbers. I listened to the long 1-hour performance to my heart's content and I was particularly amazed by the expression of the story utilizing the characters of each instrument.

For this volume, I wanted to train myself to select stories intuitively from each world seen in my vision, keeping the scene that provoke certain emotions in mind. It was fun to find such scenes even when I wasn't photographing and I thought I was like a curious spectator. That's right. I should call myself a rubble photographer.