For the first time in 11 years, snow has fallen in the Tokyo area in December. The above pictures were taken with freezing hands this morning. For a Hawaii boy, there are few things as wondrous and exciting as falling snow.
In tribute, here’s a snow song by one of my favorite Japanese singers, Baishou Chieko, Yuki no furu machi o… (.mp3, 1.5MB) (roughly “In the town where snow falls…”).
Sadly, as someone living in Hokkaido, the first thing I think of whenever I see pictures of snow is, “Oh, it must be dangerous….” Yeah, I think of slippery roads. So, korobanai youni kiwo tsukete! For today only, Tokyo looks more like Hokkaido; there’s no snow around here in Shiretoko.
Hey, Kurt, how have you been?
Kurt, thanks for the photographs. That last one’s a classic!
Wonderful photos. I’m in Musashi-Shinjo, just outside Tokyo, and went out with my own digital camera as soon as I saw that the streets of Kanagawa had turned white, but your photos are better. For me, it was just like being back in England: feeling cold, wet feet, late trains. Let’s hope we have some more of the white stuff before the winter’s through.