Snowmageddon?

It's Saturday night and for the second time in a week we're getting some real snow here.

Back home in northern Illinois this would be just your every day little flurry in January, but in the Kanto area, snows like this are rare, and when they happen people just aren't prepared.




Where I'm from we get all kinds of snow, from light gentle snow that looks like you're inside one of those souvenir globes to torrential blizzards that threaten to knock you off your feet.

In the Tokyo/Chiba area of Japan we don't get a lot of snow, maybe once or twice a season, but when it hits it's usually kind of nasty, snowing hard like it is today, and the snow is sticky and wet. When I first experienced snow in Japan I was amazed to see people using umbrellas which we never use where I'm from in the snow (and rarely even in the rain), but with how sticky it is I get it now.




And yes, this picture was taken in the park near my apartment. I stupidly decided that despite the freezing winds it was a good day to take the camera out for a spin. I guess some of the pictures I took turned out nice, but risking finger death (and even worse, camera death) was possibly not worth it. Thankfully I had my trusty pair of fingerless gloves to keep me sort of warm, and make me look either 30% more professional when wielding my camera in the cold or 30% more like a douchebag (or more likely both).




The last pic there is the view from my front door. The lake and park below are completely invisible. It's a kind of cool effect but looking at the picture on my screen now I have to wonder what the hell I was thinking going out.

Early in the afternoon today I went up the hill to get a few things at the store and meet a friend for a cup of coffee. Several times I saw people barely keeping upright from the combination of the wind, snow falling, and what was packed on the ground. I didn't see any falls, but I did see a few cars nearly slide off the road.

In Japan people have a bad habit of driving just a little too slowly when the weather gets bad. In rain it results in traffic jams but that's about all. In snow, however, it can be really bad. People don't seem to get it that in certain situations, like when trying to get up a slope or through a deep drift, that you need a little momentum to carry you through. At least people around here anyway. I would imagine people who learned to drive up north in Aomori or Hokkaido slide around like pros in the winter.

OK, that's enough for now. Stay warm, eat something hot, and if you can, grab an atsukan (hot sake).

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These pictures were taken with my Panasonic GX7 micro four thirds camera, using the Olympus 45mm F1.8 lens. It's a great fast lens and is perfect for getting shots in dim lighting.