Silver White Winters

It's already been snowing in Hokkaido, the northern most island in Japan. Snow usually greets those Japanese who live in Hokkaido before many others are visited in other regions of the country. Currently it's about fifty degrees in Tokyo. Something I would take any day compared to Iowa's negative ten degree wind chills. Many areas in Japan have special winter itineraries that allow a tourist to view all that winter has to offer in Japan. These include resort stays, skiing, and snowy sight seeing.

Many places in Japan have light festivals called "Winter Illumination." These light festivals, like fall colors and snow sculptures, are viewed by millions. With new technological updates, many people are looking into Projection Mapping or 3D Mapping to really enhance their showing. Many historical places have their own light shows as well as ordinary homes and work places.

Seasonal illuminations around Christmas have become a popular attraction in cities across Japan. Illuminations are typically displayed from around November to around Christmas or New Year, while a few are kept up until Valentine's Day in February. Among Japan's first and most spectacular light show, Kobe's Luminarie, ended yesterday. It started after the disastrous earthquake in 1995, the Kobe Luminarie is an Italian designed tunnel consisting of millions of lights. Shinjuku hosts a long winter light festival. Illumination displays are found spread around the Shinjuku Terrace City, but especially on the Shinjuku Southern Terrace, south of JR Shinjuku Station. Some illuminations will be held through Valentine's Day.

WINTER VOCAB
Winter brings extreme cold to Japan.
The word cold in Japanese is
さむい　
sa mu i
(sah-moo-ee)

With winter comes Christmas
Merry Christmas in Japanese is
メリークリスマス
me rii ku ri su ma su
(meh-ree-koo-ree-soo-mah-soo)