is for fuyu, or the Japanese word for Winter. While autumn is my favorite season for its cool temperatures and fiery colors, winter in Japan is easily one of the most beautiful times to be here. Especially in Kyoto and Hokkaido, the snow is thick, powdery, and pristine. Japan’s placement on the Ring of Fire ensures that there is also enough thermal activity going on to melt the snow before it turns into black ice, meaning we either have lots of beautiful snow absolutely everywhere, or clean roads to drive on.
Basically, there is very little to dislike about the snow here. Kyoto doesn’t get snow too often (once every five years, roughly), but when it does, it positively dumps. And it’s gorgeous. Of course, Kyoto has nothing on Hokkaido, which hosts an internationally known festival every year, aptly called the “Snow Festival”, or Yuki Matsuri. My trip there remains one of my favorite memories of my time in Japan.
Images hosted on Flickr.
Ariel Hudnall 
59 responses to “F is for 冬”
Oh fabulous! If snowing can be that beautiful, who would not look forward to one winter in 5 years. So lovely 🙂
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I wished they happened more! I LOVE winter, which is funny for my girlfriend, since she’s from Canada. She says I look like a little kid every time it snows. But, I love it!
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ha ha ! don’t we all love snow 🙂
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Beautiful pictures.. thank God you went to Japan and we get these beautiful glimpses of Japan.
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Oh, well that’s very nice of you! If you want more you can click any of the photos and go to their albums on my Flickr. They’re all there! 🙂
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Ok. I ll do that
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I think this answers the question I was going to ask–you took these gorgeous photos? How talented can you be??? : ) Everything I’ve seen so far, even the ones about flooding, seemed so peaceful. Lovely.
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Some great images there, Alex.
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Thank you very much, Keith. 🙂
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Wow, those ice and snow sculptures are amazing. I love snow, but around here we rarely get any and then it stays pristine for about two seconds if we do. I like the idea of snow that is either lovely and white or gone rather than slush then ice :).
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
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The sculptures were fantastic, Tasha. In Kyoto, the snow doesn’t stay long enough for that kind of snow-sculpting… The last picture, of the Golden Pavilion? The snow was there 9am, when I took that picture, and was all gone by 11am.
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I LOVE your photos.
We have a hot and humid climate here, so that looks really cold (by my standards of what cold is…)
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It was actually much warmer in Sapporo than it was in Kyoto… all that snow insulated the city! It was quite pleasant. 🙂
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Wow, they don’t mess around with the snow sculptures, do they… Their winter sounds a lot better than the one in Ohio…
Btw a friend of mine just spend a couple of days in Kyoto 😀 She had gorgeous pictures too.
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary – Epics from A to Z
MopDog – 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
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How cool for your friend! And Hokkaido is famous for their sculptures. Even the police officers get in on the fun: http://bit.ly/17NIFCy
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Wow – they take snow sculptures very seriously!! 🙂
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They’ve got too much snow not to! 😛
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The snow and ice sculptures are beautiful! They do similar things here in Quebec City and Ottawa for the winter festivals. There is even an Ice Hotel you can stay in! I saw the Golden Pavilion in May. It was lovely then, but I think I like it even more with snow!
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Wow! What photos!
Winter is not the best time here. Mostly it’s gray, and it snows every five years, maybe, but it does not DUMP. Snows just enough to make us wish for more.
Spring is the best season on the Gulf (of Mexico) Coast, IMO. Fall would be next. But summer is my favourite because we get the long days.
This is your official visit from the list from me. I made it way before I thought I would, but honestly, haven’t left as many comments as I should have this week.
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I wish winter was this nice in Canada. I’m so tired of the snow and ready for spring. Great pictures though! Loving the animal ones. 🙂
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Those were taken at the Sapporo Zoo. The snow-living animals were VERY happy, but the African animals were not (they have to be kept indoors during the snowy periods).
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What incredibly beautiful pictures!
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Beautiful artwork using snow. We had so much snow this year that it lost it beauty around the middle of February.
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what wonderful images, what interesting writing. I wish I could teleport. I have written a short story based in a snow festival and another one- a ghost story- based in Kyoto..tho I have yet to visit. will sign up for your newsletter when I have posted this so I can keep up to date
zannierose A-Z
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Beautiful pictures – I missed winter in Japan (because I lived somewhere nice and warm). Just a couple days where I saw a dusting while on the road. Nothing anywhere near this beautiful!
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Oh my goodness, these photoes are beautiful!!!
The snow statues are stunning 🙂
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Beautiful. And that tiger…
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Yeah, he was living up the snow. 🙂 Sapporo Zoo had a lot of really nice open air pens. The wolves were really happy, too.
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Beautiful. I’d love to see this part of the world.
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The snow sculptures are amazing. I’m in awe of these people, not just because of the skill it takes but because they are willing to pour themselves into something which is so fleeting. At least, now, we have cameras to preserve the images.
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Yes… They sculpt for upward of 20 hours, let them sit through the weekend, and there’s a ceremony (involving dousing the statues in alcohol for their service) before the bulldozers tear everything down. They really were amazing.
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Gorgeous pictures. Even if it is of snow (I’m so tired of it and it is taking forever to melt in Michigan.)
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee’s Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
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I usually complain bitterly about the snow, but those images make me long for a winter wonderland! Sometimes I think I forget the beauty because of inconvenience – there is a lesson there 🙂
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Those are gorgeous ice sculpture! And the animals!
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Amazing shots! I lived in Japan when I was a child and I don’t remember snow very often.
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That just looks like a fairytale! 🙂
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Your photography is brilliant (Loved the fireworks one) and you have a wonderful way with words as well. A combination of talent that will take you far! Do you consider Japan “home” now or just a stopover?
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This A-Z is my homage to Japan. I’ve lived here for five years, but am finally heading back west, to live in Vancouver for a time and hopefully attend grad school for publishing.
Thank you so much! I have a long way to go, but I’m glad you like the photos!
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Fantastic photos.
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You’re so talented at taking pictures, Alex. Those snow festival carvings far outshine any others I have seen. It must take them forever to make them!
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Magical pictures, Alex. I would love to see Hokkaido in the winter.Not sure my brethren in New England would see the same beauty after this past winter!
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YOU HAVE TIGERS IN JAPAN????? Who knew?
Fantastic photo’s and a great F.
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Only in zoos, sadly. But we do have wild snow monkeys in our neighborhood… does that count? 😉
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It surely does. I’m definitely coming to visit (as long as they’re better behaved than their city slicker Indian cousins).
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They’ll let you be as long as you don’t stare them in the eye for too long. 🙂
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The snow sculptures in Sapporo are amazing, and the Kinkaku-ji Temple covered with snow is beautiful.
I’m also wondering where in Japan that tiger in the snow is. 🙂
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Romi, the tiger shot was actually at the Sapporo Zoo. Same with the wolf photo. The enclosures there are quite open, so the animals have lots of space to prowl about. They also had red pandas! And it was FREE entry!
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Incredible how they can carve snow like that! A half-decent snowman is a challenge for me.
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I totally feel you. I once managed a lumpy snowbear, but that’s about the extent of my abilities. XD
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Incredible photos. Thanks for sharing. I am adding this event to my bucket list 🙂
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You won’t be disappointed!
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It looks so beautiful. Snow here is beautiful until it’s ugly. Lovely photos.
TD Harvey A to Z participant
http://www.tdharveyauthor.com
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Thanks so much for the compliment, Tee. I’m greatly looking forward to a camera upgrade I’ve been saving up for…. hopefully even crisper, better lighted photos!
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Your photos are fantastic!
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Wow, that means a lot coming from you! Thank you so much. 🙂 I’ve been loving your photo series, too.
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Thank you! Actually I’ve been digging out a lot of my older photos for this challenge and I can notice that I’ve improved over the years
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I have been looking through your A to Z posts, and well your pictures are amazingly beautiful. I will be back, no worries 🙂
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More stunning photos. I particularly like the one of the yellow house(pagoda?) ibn the snow. That scene was just begging to be photographed.
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