Mayumi Kawaharada writes: At the beginning of autumn, on a sunny day, I joined a volunteer event of fixing bamboo fences alongside the bamboo forests in Arashiyama. It was organised by a NPO called “People together for Mt. Ogura”. My haiku master , Stephen H Gill, is one of the cofounders of this group. They have been working on Mt. Ogura for more than a decade to fix problems arising from environmental damage.

Once a year, Stephen Gill organises a Ginko (composing poetry while strolling), combined with the NPO’s volunteer work. The bamboo fences belong to Okouchi Sanso villa, which was built by former movie actor, Okouchi Denjiro (1898-1962). Since the current owner appreciates our work, they allow us to enter their garden for free, after finishing our work fixing the bamboo fence.

A big blue heart
cut out from the mackerel sky …
Birds singing

This distant view
From an ancient actor’s moon viewing terrace , 
All to myself!

A new movie star
Posing for my cell phone—
Mischievous mantis

The garden at Okochi Sanso is marvellous!
However, there was something sad I found while fixing the fences;

Tourist’s scribble
on the bamboo cut down:
“I love you”

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People together for Mt. Ogura;
https://infoptogura.wixsite.com/npo-pto
Bamboo fence fixing event report; 
https://hailhaiku.wordpress.com/tag/mt-ogura/

For more by Mayumi, see her previous posting of haiku pics.