For most Japanese, believing that Japan is a land of FOUR DISTINCT and IDEALIZED SEASONS is a fundamental part of their national identity. The traditional calendar in fact divides the year into four perfectly equal 90 day seasons. Accordingly, winter begins at the mid-point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice (which in 2009 was November 7th )and ends ninety days later, halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox (Feb. 4th, in 2010). Summer and autumn come next, in turn, at the same intervals. Perfect.
Tsukuba rice fields blanketed in snow ( February 2010)
In the Kanto Region, where Tsukuba is located, the meteorological facts ON THE GROUND, however, DO NOT usually align themselves very well with what we imagine each of the four seasons should be. This is especially true with winter, which has traditionally been symbolized in Japanese art and literature by SNOW and SNOWSCAPES. While in Hokkaido ( Japan`s northernmost island) and on the Japan Sea side of Japan the onset of first snow-fall, and then its eventual melting away, might more closely coincide with the traditional seasonal divisions, here in Tsukuba, daytime temperatures are relatively warm through early January, and in recent years, IF there is any snowfall, it is in LATE FEBRUARY or EARLY MARCH. I have also found this period (already early spring according to tradition), to be the coldest and windiest (and a bitter cold wind it is) time of the year.
The same has ben true again this winter ( 2009-10), with snow first falling yesterday( February 1st), beginning in the evening and continuing on into the night. I was looking forward to getting up in the morning and enjoying a rare winterscape (usually Tsukubans have to go abroad or to other parts of Japan for them), building a snowman, and maybe even having a snowball fight.
I knew I would have get out of bed ( futon, in fact )early to catch the scenery before it soon melted away, as it inevitably does in these parts. Just after sunrise, I was happy to find my garden and the wilds around my house still blanketed in a delicate layer of white.
First I went out to catch a fleeting glimpse of a CLASSIC Japanese winter image, right there in my front yard – snow covered camellias. Deep red and pure white. A perfect balance of snowy weight and plant resistance-Beautiful!
I then set out with my dog into the fields. There is nothing much more thrilling for a Shiba Inu ( a breed of Japanese dog ) than being allowed to run free through the snow- and her excitement was contagious.
Rabbit tracks in the fresh snow -Tsukuba 2010
What really gave ME a thrill though was coming across an abundance of wild animal tracks- rabbit, raccoon dog, weasel and most surprisingly- fox!
Unfortunately, I had work to get to. I knew that by the afternoon the snow would be gone, soI tried to take it all in and savor it before heading back home.
Fox tracks !
Its funny….. in regions covered in snow throughout winter, people eagerly await its melting and the coming of spring. In Tsukuba, our snowscapes are so rare and so fleeting, that we REGRET to see them melt away so soon.
Older people who grew up around here say that there used to be plenty of snow in Tsukuba, all winter long. Well, there is something for those who deny global climate change to think about.