Stella Beckmann

I laced up my shoes and headed down the hill onto the countryside road, my eyes adjusting to the evening light. My headphones had no battery, which unsettled me more than I expected. Somewhere along the way, I’d conditioned myself to reach a running mood only once my alt-rock playlist started, as if the music was what gave me permission to begin. 

Ginkgo trees at Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, December 2025 It was colder today, yesterday’s cloud blanket giving way to a clear blue sky. Ginkgo trees lined the streets, more yellow than ever in the sunshine. As I breathed in the soft ginkgo scent, I let the urge to take a picture go and tried instead to memorise how the leaves shimmered in the wind. Today was my final day in Tokyo. Two navy-dressed ladies pushed green carts; inside sat eight kindergarten children with yellow hats. I...

The bamboo forest, Oita, Japan, Nov 2025 I climbed up the muddy hill into the bamboo forest at the Japanese temple. Looking up, their leaves clustered overhead, forming a ceiling.  I'd seen these bamboo trees every day. In daylight, they shone softly, swaying and rustling when the wind picked up. I always noticed them, but only in passing, as I went for a run, started the car, or pulled weeds from the garden. They were part of the background, something stable and constant, easy to look past....