winter

February 15th-16th, the people of Yokote in Akita Prefecture in Northern Japan build two-meter tall snow huts known as Kamakura. Inside they have a small grill for keeping warm and for cooking mochi, chewy rice cake, and for heating up amezaki a type of sweet sake with almost no alcohol. Also inside is a small altar dedicated to Suijin-sama the god of water.

A wrap up of the winter 2010 season in anime. This wasn't a great way to start the year.

I’ve been living in Tokyo 5 years and I never noticed these guys until this year. But apparently they do this every year. And according to my friend, they’ve been doing it since the Edo Period (1603-1868). (Go figure). On cold winter nights, groups of volunteers walk through the streets of Tokyo chanting and hitting wood blocks. Who are these people and what are they doing?

A trip to winter Suma beach - the most famous one in Kobe, Kansai. No summer houses and parties but it is still worthy to see. (Many photos and videos.)

All the sanitizer aside, Japan, like the rest of Asia, remains committed to its face masks. According to some, it’s to prevent the wearer from getting sick. But according to others, it’s to prevent the wearer from spreading his/her germs with others. Which ever you choose to believe, seems everyone ends up one this time of year. Like, gloves… check. Scarf… check.

In Aomori Prefecture, the city of Hirosaki puts on a simple but elegant snow lantern festival early-mid February. They construct japanese garden-style lanterns out of snow and place small portraits on them which are illuminated at night.

The portraits depict Japanese women, samurai, and legendary Chinese heroes particularly from the epics - Three Kingdoms and the Outlaws of the Marsh.

The music they play in the background however leaves a tad to be desired but it makes for a bit of surrealness.

Within the first few moments of the series, the heroine of the series makes her appearance, a second year high school student named Kanako Miyamae. Entering the same private all girls high school where her parents met (and no, no one bothers to mention the creepy teacher student relationship), she wants to meet her own yuri lifetime companion.

That's right, it's everyone's first favorite time of the year (followed I assume by the the other anime premiere season's of the year) and this winter we have twenty three new series premiering over January and February. It's going to be a busy season but I'm up to the task so let's get started with a full listing of all upcoming series which I have collected

With the regular deluge of new products hitting the shelves come winter, it is easy to overlook the hot water bottle. Though perennially popular, this classic reusable personal heater has been gaining shelf space following recent eco trends.