UPDATE | December 27, 2021
What do you imagine when you think of what you want to enjoy in winter Japan? When asked by international students, "snow" is often said. There are countries and regions in the world where it does not snow, and not only international students but also foreign tourists come to see the snow in Japan. Japanese snow, which often falls quietly, is closely related to Japanese culture. Let's enjoy winter to the fullest with snow while learning what kind of culture there is.
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Since ancient times, the Japanese have loved snow as a winter tradition. Here are three famous things that you can feel "Japanese snow".
Japanese children always want to make something when it snows. That is a snowman.
It's easy to make, roll the snow to make two circles, and stick them together with the big circle on the bottom and the small circle on the top. Then, it will have a shape similar to the Japanese "Daruma". It is called a "snowman" because it is made of snow.
The small circle above is the face of a snowman. Use tree branches and stones to make eyes, nose, and mouth, and you're done. If you want to make the snowman fashionable, cover it with a bucket or attach a ribbon.
It is not clear when the Japanese began to make snowmen, but some paintings from the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan show snowmen. It seems that the Japanese people used to play making snowmen, even now and in the past.
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Gpointstudio-snow photos created by jp.freepik.com
When it snows, Japanese children roll the snow by hand and throw it at each other. This is called a "snowball fight."
If you hit hard snow, the other person may get injured, so the point is to use soft snow that contains water. In Japan, it has been popular as a play for children since the Heian period (794-1185) about 1000 years ago.
There is also a competition called "Sports Snowball Fight". Unlike the play snowball fight, there are solid rules and teams fight. Recently, more and more people are participating in the "Sports Snowball Fight" not only in Japan but all over the world.
"Yuki Daruma" and "Snowball Fight" are Japanese games, but "Kamakura" is a traditional Japanese event. We will build a small house out of snow and enshrine a small god in it.
Kamakura is made every year in snowy regions and is said to have a history of about 450 years. I often drink sweet sake and eat rice cakes in my kamakura.
Since the snow contains a lot of air, the inside of the kamakura made of snow walls is very warm. If you come to Japan, please come and visit us.
Many people will say, "I came to Japan and saw snow for the first time." On snowy days, first check the weather forecast for "heavy snow warning" or "heavy snow warning". Even if you want to play in the snow, it will be difficult if you get injured.
Check the weather forecast and if it looks okay, go outside and play with the snow. If you know Japanese culture at that time, you should be able to enjoy the snowy days in Japan many times.
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Free writer who likes reading. Born and raised in Osaka and moved to Tokyo in 2010. He writes articles, book reviews, and columns. Currently, while writing, she teaches Japanese to foreigners at a Japanese language school in Tokyo.
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