An afternoon with the wind in the pampas grass The same hillside looks different each time the wind blows

On an October afternoon, I rested my hand on the wooden fence at Tonomine Plateau. Pampas grass stretched from the fence all the way across the low hills. The road here was lined with trees, so I was glad to see the landscape open up in front of me. I left my hand on the fence and took in the distant ridge first.

When the wind picked up, the nearest plumes all leaned at once. The movement traveled farther, reaching the top of the slope. As the sunlit patches shifted, different parts of the same hillside seemed to brighten. I watched until the grass settled, then the next gust came from the right. I couldn’t help following it with my eyes to see where it was headed.

My friend lifted her camera and said, ‘You could see the breeze move across the hillside just then.’ I was still watching the hillside, and answered, ‘Yeah,’ before finally turning to face her. We’d stopped to take a photo, but I was more interested in the moving landscape. My friend lowered the camera too, and for a while we both watched the same slope.

The fence cast a shadow across the knitted pattern on my sleeve. Each time the breeze caught the floral skirt’s hem, I could feel the air moving right beside my hand. When the plumes on the hillside swayed, the breeze reached me too. I loved how the movement in the distance connected with the wind against my skin.

A path ran through the grassland, leading to a low wooden deck. I wondered if I’d get a closer look at the hillside from there. My friend and I pointed toward the path and decided to follow the boardwalk first. I wanted both: the wide view from beside the fence and a walk among the grass.

Before setting off, I took one more look across the hills. I wanted to remember the way the plumes had rippled one after another, not just see it again in a photo. I asked my friend if we should pick up charcoal-grilled dango at the nature center on the way back, then stepped away from the fence. Now that I’d made it up to the plateau, a walk and a little treat were on the agenda, too.