Missing the motherland

Luminarie 2
Originally uploaded by Akiko.

So, as much as I love NYC, I miss spending the holidays in Japan.

The above pic is from my hometown of Kobe. Every year since the big earthquake in 1995, they've brought in craftsmen from Italy to set up luminarie, these elaborate lights and they are absolutely beautiful.

Check out more pics from my hometown via Flickr tag/Kobe.