Northern Japan is snow country. Plain and simple. They get snow up here and they usually get a lot of it. People are used to the cold, white stuff...and they've readily made living with it a part of their societal makeup. There are festivals devoted to snow, ice sculptures at said festivals and of course the beautiful and exciting ski resorts! It's not uncommon when you're on the hill to be dodged by chibi-size small fries! Toddlers on skis, by the way, is about as precious as it gets.
Of course, just because they're so used to snow up here, doesn't mean everyone really likes it. In the halls, when I have conversations with the students, I try to bring up something relevant, and as boring as it seems, the weather is always relevant. So I ask my students if they like winter, if they can ski or snowboard and if they will go to any snow festivals. And of course, "Do you like snow?"
About half of the time, the answer is an emphatic, "No, I don't." Hey, cold is cold. I can't blame them. Snow is fun, winter brings plenty to see and do and eat, but after three months of it, I'm so ready for sunshine and flowers and warm spring evenings!
Unfortunately, for some people, spring won't be coming again. Down in Tokyo, the weather is usually a bit more mild than it's been. The surprising and deadly snow in Tokyo is a sobering reminder that both Japan and America have had freak winter weather this year.
http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/106516.php
The details are a bit unclear, but I just wonder how it could have been avoided. Ice? Exposure? The same site has a story about men who fell off a temple roof while clearing snow off the shingles.
New country, same hazards.
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