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Kunitachi Chuo Library / 国立市中央図書館
Kunitachi, Tokyo, Japan
March 20, 2009, 06:30 UTC (15:30 JST)
This panorama was shot in Japan, widely considered a homogeneous nation, yet one in which diversity flourishes at countless levels, if one wishes to see it. A provincial capital with unique festivals, a distinctive local dialect, the inevitable local specialty (or specialties), people who will open up to you if you wish—that is, to me, real diversity.
A metropolis with everything and everyone? It is an impressive quantity of nothing, although expensive and inconvenient in many ways. It is rarely lacking in diversity of litter, pollution, noise, crime and rudeness.
Too often diversity as a policy or ideology has come to mean the intentional drowning of the truly unique and interesting into a bland mixture of maximum inoffensiveness. It is like mixing a variety of vibrant colored paints on a pallet, resulting in an ugly dull brown.
Lat: 35° 41' 60" N
Long: 139° 27' 60" E
Precision is: Low. Intentionally hazy, due to privacy concerns.