I took this photo in 2007, at the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto when I had the fortune to visit this incredible country filled with strong, compassionate, resourceful people.

The tradition, as I understand it, is that people write their wishes down on pieces of wood that are burned in special ceremonies. They believe that the smoke carries their wishes to God. My wish is that folks around the world donate whatever they can to help this beautiful country pull through this challenging time.

I am selling an 8×10 Kodak Matte print on my Etsy site to try to raise funds for aid. Each photo costs $35 to purchase, and $30 from the sale of each photo will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami fund.