A Few Pictures of Winter

The day after tomorrow, March 20th, is Vernal Equinox Day, a national holiday in Japan. I have to mention that the weather has been very 'springlike' and unbelievably great the past few days. It's been warm but not hot nor humid, with no mosquitoes buzzing around, and plenty of light outside lasting well into the evening. The trees are budding and we should be able to see the famous cherry blossoms (sakura) in full bloom shortly. I am excited to experience spring over here, especially if the weather continues to be how it's been lately.

Having grown up in Oregon I consider myself more or less acclimatized to what many Japanese people around here consider 'cold weather.' Though the students tend to be better (not having a heated teachers' room to hang out in all day) , I've seen quite a few Japanese teachers shuffling around in the non-heated school hallways, rubbing their arms and saying 'samui' (I'm cold) when I thought it was merely 'a cool temp.' But, I also remember quite a few times waking up chilly in the early mornings and having a few cold bike rides to school. I think the first couple of pictures will speak to the coldness of the mornings during the past couple months.

These are just a few random pictures I took this past winter.

On the way to Ni-Chuu in the morning.

The other side of the road.

Last month I saw Elizabeth in Seoul, and she took me to a Shamanist temple on the outskirts of the city. This picture is from halfway up the path to the temple. It was a very clear day.

From the top of the climb, above the Shamanist ritual grounds, looking into Seoul.

[Myeong-dong], a huge shopping area in Seoul.

A sign near my place in Iizuka.