Amputrees

It's no secret to people that have been to Japan to know that this country likes things straight, flat, smooth, preferably concrete (but any artificial material is ok) and definitely under no circumstances shall something be unpredictable. (The schools even dedicate a day to rehearse a sports day for Pete's sake, but that's another story.)

Sometimes the result is appealing and some may even describe it as modern, but most of the time this modernization is at a cost to nature and controlling it in unnatural ways. Which can be seen in the way all the mountains running parallel to roads have a concrete shell covering their natural shape and the way rivers have all been made into straight concrete shutes destroying any beauty they carried before.
There can be reasons and excuses given to these modifications like the new "rivers" can handle more water and are safer for the people living around them during heavy rain periods. Or the mountains with the concrete slathered up and down the sides prevent any rocks breaking off and falling onto the roads below during earthquakes which is all well and good.

But there's still one thing that happens yearly that I've never been able to figure out, and that's the annual hacking the limbs off the trees. Apparently every year before the leaves can turn brown and fall to the ground, the man gets the trees first by cutting off the leafy branches before the horrible brown mass of leaves can litter the ground. The end result of this is an ugly bare pole with little foot long stumps sticking out.

This can be seen all over the country. The trees are not cut because they pose a threat to power lines (which there are a tangled mess of) or a trim to promote healthier growth and a better tree, but just so they can get the leaves off the streets before they get a chance to fall off and become "litter".

There are beautiful parts of the country, but that's just the thing. There are only parts. The places that have been proven as naturally beautiful are preserved and photographed for the tour books and given a price of admission and the normal parts are cut up, covered up, and barracaded into controllable environments. With so much potential being mistreated, it really is a shame.

"Come one, come all and witness Mother Nature's disfigured seedlings as you'd never believe possible! Stay close to your parents boys and girls, wouldn't want to lose any of your little tootsies now would we?! Step right up!"

Behold Amputrees!