Big Snow

The theme of the last few days has been snow. Big snow. In the supermarket people have talked about "big snow". On the phone, "big snow" and in weekend planning, "big snow". Now, I am a regular visitor to weather websites what with being British and being bored and all, but none of them gave mention of big snow. The first I knew was when Nao-chan nearly had a stroke in the supermarket on Friday lunchtime when I said I was going to Okayama on Saturday:

"You have snow tyres now?"
"No. But we don't have them in England. It'll be fine"
"But this weekend, BIG SNOW"
"It didn't say that on the weather"
*shaking and almost passing out* "Get snow tyres, at the weekend BIG SNOW. YOU MUST GET SNOW TYRES!!"

So on returning to school I eventually called the man from whom I rent the car and asked if I needed snow tyres.

"Ah, Snow tyres. I said I give you snow tyre next year... But... This weekend... BIG SNOW... You need snow tyre... BIG SNOW"

So on Friday evening I got my tyres and thought nothing more of it. Went to dinner with Nao-chan and watched DVDs at home. (Am practicing avoidance techniques as it's too cold to clean and pack).

Saturday morning came and what in retrospect was probably "small-medium" snow had fallen. There was a nice thick coating on everything, but not too much, so I set off at 12 and 2 towns later the snow was gone- it was as if I'd driven back into late Autumn.

The city as usual was warmer, though still cold, and I parked my car at Amy and Herb's where we chatted for a bit then set out to do some last minute tasks before meeting at the Fantasy (2005 Momotaroh Fantasy) at 6pm. Except we met instead at the coffee house at 5:30 with Betsy and visiting-boyfriend Timur also present, and and on the way to the Fantasy I managed to force two high-school cyclists off the pavement and into the oncoming traffic. Oops.

We had dinner in the Italian restaurant in the Cred building and then headed back to Gorilla bar (which it turns out is called 'Gorilla bar', 'La Li' and 'La Li Lu Le Lo'. Why have one name when you can have three?). Only it was closed until 9:30, so we started our usual wandering around the city, deciding on karaoke but changing our minds when there was a 30 minute wait. Amy and I were further delayed by a crazy city Elementary school teacher who loved Britain and the Beatles and loved Canada and had a nephew in one of Amy's schools. She was slightly (i.e. very) drunk, and very friendly and seemed overjoyed to have met us and after our group started to move she spent approximately 5 minutes apologising and thanking us and bowing and waving. She appeared to be slightly bonkers but in a very friendly entertaining way.

We finally made it to Gorilla bar (via 7:11) at 9:30 and at 11:30, depite our best intentions, headed to the Red Moon for a while. We were soon on our way back to Amy and Herb's place, and along the way Adam found and lost a fake fur scarf, I hunted for ichigo daifuku (eventually finding them only for Amy to try it and have to spit it out declaring it not tasty) and it started snowing. So immediately our concerns about big-snow were back. We got indoors, chatted and went to sleep, expecting to wake up to a carpet of snow outside.

9am Sunday came and it was warm, bright and snow free, and as we walked to a revolving sushi restaurant it all seemed a bit confusing. So we ate, chatted and said our goodbyes for Christmas, Adam taking off on his bike and after another coffee with Amy and Herb, me taking off in Efi.

Now, leaving the city there was still no sign of big snow, so I took the slow roads (which aren't really that slow) and it was only after an half hour that I started to see snow. And then near Takebe there was a lot of snow. Turning onto the windy mountain road to Ochiai was slightly alarming as the road was covered with impacted, slippy snow, pulled-over cars and more slippy snow. So with Efi in 4 wheel drive mode we trundled on, sliding left and right with almost reckless abandon and skidding all over the shop. If the whiteness wasn't so pretty and distracting it would have been quite scary. Especially when I tried to turn the corner onto a bridge in Asahi-cho and Efi slid so far that she almost overshot the bridge entirely...

Well, I made it home to find the 20cms of snow I had been warned of that morning by Nao-chan and for the first time had to shovel snow from my parking space. And with it still snowing I went for a long walk to the shops and around, taking pictures along the way only to arrive home and find my laptop had gone kaputt, switching itself off every three minutes (huge big buggery GAH!).

And today it's still snowing, although it seems like it might ease. It could all be gone by 3 o'clock if the sun shines hard enough. And in three days time I'll be in the land of central heating...