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Essay

Snow in Tokyo

By Michael Pronko


雪の東京

東京で雪が降ると、せわしない都会の日常が一変する。いつも早足の通行人はペースを落とし、普段口を利くことのない近所の人とも立ち話をしたりする。そんなスローな東京も悪くない、と筆者は言う。

Whenever it snows in Tokyo, I think back to my youth when school would be canceled and I could go sledding all day. Even before I was awake, I could feel it snowed, and would quickly hop out of bed, peek out the window and race to the radio to hear if classes were canceled.

In Tokyo, though, whenever I hear the crunch-crunch of people walking in snow outside my window in the morning, I know it will take twice as long to get anywhere and everyone in the city will be in a bad mood, so I better get going. Even a little bit of snow overpowers the city and turns it into another place completely.

When it snows in Tokyo, the entire city shifts and changes and slows down. Everyone looks and acts differently, as if the city has been put on slow motion against its will. Even with the snow, Tokyo people always soldier on, trying to get everything done as they usually do. It rarely succeeds, but it's nice to make the effort.

Tokyo is a walking city, but it's amazing how the snow unbalances fast-paced pedestrians. With snow below, everyone starts walking around like drunken ballerinas. Instead of plowing ahead without paying much attention to what's around them, everyone has to pay attention to where every step is placed.

And once it falls, snow lingers for a long time in Tokyo, not because it doesn't warm up, but because Tokyo does not have sun everywhere. My bike route from home to the station has two turns where the sun never shines. The ice stays there in the shadow of the buildings, sometimes for weeks, forcing me to pay attention and ride carefully.

I can sympathize with people who get irritated by the snow. Especially when there is something important to do that day or the next. The rare disruption in Tokyo's strict routine can really throw you off. But for some reason I like to slow down and take a look at the city at a different pace. Slow Tokyo and fast Tokyo are two different cities.

Walking home in the snow last month on Coming-of-Age Day, I shared a laugh with the people in my neighborhood shoveling snow off their stairs and front walks. Usually, I would just nod and walk on, but the snow was so thick, I had to stop and chat, for a change. We watched the snow coming down and turning everything in Tokyo into soft, round, white mounds.

It's always interesting when the snow descends on Tokyo and gives us a new perspective and a slower speed. It makes it worth all the hassle and disruption, at least until it melts and Tokyo returns to normal.



Shukan ST: FEBRUARY 8, 2013

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