While we grit our teeth and dig in in an attempt to weather the cold here in Moscow, it's probably good to know that we in Russia and neighboring countries are not alone in our sufferings. Even as the number of fatalities in Moscow from the cold rose to 123 since last October, similar figures were being tallied for all of Japan - making the winter of 2005/2006 the deadliest in 20 years.I chatted with my colleague about this yesterday afternoon, recalling our own stints in the Land of the Rising Sun. We agreed that although average winter temperatures in Tokyo cannot compare with those in Moscow, at least we were assured of reliable central heating here. In Japan and elsewhere, heating is localised; in other words, you fend for yourself as you are best able to do so. With power costs considerably more expensive in Japan, most families make do with electric stoves, gas heaters or the traditional kotatsu, reinforced by thick jumpers, woolen socks and futon.
For this reason, freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall can instantly disrupt life in Japanese major cities outside those in Hokkaido, the northeastern Tohoku and central Japan Alps regions. Just like in Spain, snow falls only once or twice throughout the winter season and hardly accummulates.
Today, Reuters reported that at least 7 cm of snow had fallen in the Otemachi area of central Tokyo as of 3 pm. It was the heaviest in the capital since 8 cm fell on 27 January 2001. In the Japan Today site, a regular poster said snow had accummulated up to 20 cm by late afternoon. Coincidentally yesterday was also declared 大寒 daikan, the coldest day of the year. The photo to the left shows brolly-carrying pedestrians in Ginza. (I can't imagine Russians carrying umbrellas to ward off snow, though.)I don't remember when was the worst snowfall I'd experienced in Tokyo, but I do recall that the winter of 1988/99 did cause considerable disruptions in the chikatetsu as well as the suburban train I used to take to my flat in Ichigao. The most I had experienced was perhaps during the week I was covering the Nagano Winter Games in February 1998. I still have the LL Bean jacket and Timberland boots I bought especially for that coverage.
Post Scriptum: I finished up the Norwegian brown cheese, gjetost, that Pang gave me after her trip to Norway last summer. Tried keeping it for as long as I could in my decrepit refrigerator, taking out only choice morsels at a time. Not having a solid bite to munch on, I had little choice but to eat up all the Skivet ost from Gudbrandsdalen in the south of Norway.
