Current location:business >>
VOX POPULI: Scent of snow fills the air after Tokyo receives a wet, wintry mix
business2People have gathered around
IntroductionMany years ago, I received a New Year’s “nengajo” (greeting postcard) from a young man who had reloc ...
Many years ago, I received a New Year’s “nengajo” (greeting postcard) from a young man who had relocated from Saitama Prefecture to Akita Prefecture for his job.
He wrote, “I realized for the first time that there is such a thing as the scent of snow.”
From his message, I could sense his quiet pleasure in making new discoveries while struggling to adjust to his life in the unfamiliar snow country.
Since then, I have remembered his words whenever it has snowed.
As the air trembles and condenses in the cold, so to speak, I would try to sniff out the scent of snow in the back of my nose.
I can readily recognize the smell now. But in the past, I did not even know it existed. We humans are so strange.
Actually, snow not only gives off a scent, but it also makes sounds.
A heavy accumulation of snow atop a house causes the roof to creak, as if the snow is determined to crush everything under its weight.
“No other sound is more terrifying,” a friend of mine, a native of a snow-bound town on the Sea of Japan coast, used to say.
Snow fell in Tokyo on Feb. 5.
It was actually a wet, wintry mix, but bad enough to disrupt public transportation and the distribution of goods, and it must have inconvenienced many people.
I hope everyone will watch out for icy patches underfoot today, so they won’t slip and hurt themselves.
In the big cities, the amount of snowfall has apparently decreased over the years. However, the inconveniences and dangers to the daily lives of citizens must have increased.
Asked repeatedly to refrain from non-urgent outings, I, for one, would be made to feel unnecessarily rushed and flustered.
Even though I tell myself I have to live with this, I can’t help feeling sorry for myself for not being able to have the luxury of sitting back and simply enjoying the snow.
In “Kuroi Fukin” (Black organ), poet Sakutaro Hagiwara (1886-1942) wrote to the effect, “Woman, play the organ/ Lightly, gently and solemnly/ Like the sound of falling snow.”
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 6
* *
*Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Circuit news portal”。http://ukraine.mybodyonelife.com/content-42d799948.html
Related articles
Ben Affleck did NOT get plastic surgery ahead of Tom Brady's Netflix roast
businessBen Affleck may have been on hand to roast Tom Brady – but the actor found himself the target of an ...
【business】
Read moreYuli Gurriel finalizes minor league deal with Braves, assigned to Triple
businessHOUSTON (AP) — Former AL batting champion Yuli Gurriel finalized a minor league contract with the At ...
【business】
Read moreChicago woman pleads guilty, gets 50 years for cutting child from victim's womb
businessCHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago woman accused of luring a pregnant teenager to her home and cutting her bab ...
【business】
Read more
Popular articles
- Marquette athletic director Bill Scholl plans to retire as he ends a decade
- Rose Byrne looks unrecognisable with a bleached blonde beehive wig on set of latest movie Tow
- Cops raid the owner of a pack of vicious wolf
- Jiri Smejkal gets 1st goal, Senators beat Bruins 3
- Forest loses appeal against 4
- Red Wings miss playoffs despite 5
Latest articles
Where were Kanye West and Bianca Censori's Met Gala invites? As his ex
Yuli Gurriel finalizes minor league deal with Braves, assigned to Triple
Taylor Swift enjoys another loved
Rose Byrne looks unrecognisable with a bleached blonde beehive wig on set of latest movie Tow
Cambodia welcomes 1st Chinese flight, tourists to Siem Reap
Blue Jays activate All
LINKS
- Whale song mystery solved by scientists
- One killed in central Auckland crash
- 'Strong' quake hits West Coast
- Biden takes on Trump over Russia, democracy in fiery State of the Union address
- Whale song mystery solved by scientists
- Ministry for the Environment asks for voluntary redundancies
- Russia, Kazakhstan floods: High water levels swamp Orenburg houses
- Coronavirus news: American tries to slip through quarantine
- 'Rust' armorer called 'sloppy,' defense says she's a scapegoat
- Companies 'not interested' in public