Snow-kyo!

Monday, January 22 marks a rare event in Tokyo. That’s right, it snowed today. I was super excited throughout the day as I had never seen snowfall in my life. And out of all the places in the world where I could see snowfall, I never expected the first place to be Tokyo. This is in part because Tokyo lies near the 35th Parallel North. If you were to plop Tokyo along the Pacific Coast of the United States, Tokyo would be located at approximately San Simeon, California (well, my dorm anyway). That’s about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Also, the central coast of California, while cold during the winter, is not known for its snowfall. However, due to ocean currents, it makes sense that Tokyo would be colder during the winter than either L.A. or San Francisco.

I left my dorm at about 10 AM. I was greeted with some light snowfall, but I was ecstatic. I was in awe as the sleet (snow/rain) slowly danced its way to the ground. I wanted to get a better glimpse of the snowfall on my way to school today, so I boarded the Yamanote Line at Takadanobaba Station near the front of the train. I was mesmerized. Once I arrived at Tamachii Station, I got lost as I was trying to find my way to TUJ. This little mishap gave me an opportunity to explore some neighborhoods in the Minato ward, as well as experience some more snowfall. Wow. At about 12:30 PM, around the time my first (and last) class of the day started, it was (to me anyway) a blizzard outside. I was even more mesmerized as I was peaking out the window during the lecture. Don’t worry, I still took good notes. Once my class ended, I stepped outside and walk around the area to take some more pictures (and of course play in the snow like a kid in a candy store). Once I was done playing around, I got some lunch at the local ramen restaurant, took care of some course-related business, and off I went. Now that it was full-on snowing outside, I decided to take my usual route home (not the Yamanote Line). Once I arrived back at Takadanobaba, all I could see was white. I haven’t seen this much white since I left the United States. Everything was white: the sky, the streets, the rails, etc… The snow was soft and powdery too, which was perfect for making snowballs. Don’t worry, I didn’t throw any but the consistency of the snow was nothing like I had ever experienced; it was almost like a flavorless slushy. I decided to walk around Takadanobaba, taking Sakae-Dori home while walking by the Kanda River and Tokyo Fuji University. Once I arrived back at my dorm, I grabbed my trusty Canon PowerShot S90 and explored the town a little bit more. Sadly, my memory card filled up but I took some incredible pictures (I’m not a professional photographer, but to me, these pictures represent an incredible memory).

Well, I need to settle in to my studies at this point. In the meantime, here are some pictures.