Ah! Snow Letters sent from Heaven


Japan has fallen into the grip of a severe cold weather nationwide. This winter has knocked Japan out by the heaviest snow for the first time in seven years. Particularly Hokuriku area containing Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures has been suppressed by special heavy snow for the first time since 1981. People are getting inconvinience  in their lives due to the burden of snow shoveling and walking or driving cars on deeply accumulated snowy roads.

On the contrary, children enjoy making a snowman. And foreign travelers coming from northern countries standing on a snow field have a pleasant experience.

It’s not only these. The Japanese people fetch a beauty from snow.

Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, which is one of the most famous old gardens, is the most beautiful sight when it is covered with white snow. Instead, it is made so as to attract a watcher in snow. Kanazawa has a long winter season with dull colored clouds. People in Kanazawa want a twinkle under the low snow-cloudy sky.


People in Japan have captured the snow as a reality and a beauty for over one thousand years.

You can efficiently feel fun in winter in Japan.

Today I would like to show a glimpse of Japanese people finding a beauty from a slip of some phenomena.

There was a great scientist who studied snow crystals through his academic life, his name is Ukichiro Nakaya, who has been famous in the scientific snow field in northern countries. He said in his book as to snow crystals.

 “Snow crystals are letters sent from Heaven.

When night fell, no wind and about fifteen degrees of frost, snow beginning to fall quietly was so beautiful.

Moving out to the balcony of my house in the black night I looked at the dark sky by a flashlight.

From the back of the black sky countless white powder fell toward me endlessly.

They moved in a helix orbit and were blighten by the light, I could sense the development of crystal polyhedron.

Looking up to Heaven I has been lapped with the air of falling white crystal powder and has felt the mysterious feeling of flying high.”(my translation)

You can find out about his studies at his memorial hall in Katayamazu near Kanazawa.

Uichito Nakaya Memorial Hall of Snow and Ice

(It has English site.)

His view point for snow crystal never moved.

His snow crystal field was so wide.

His thoughts for snow crystal was with romanticism.

If you come to Japan in winter, I want you to visit a place on the Japan Sea. And I want you to see the turbulently raging waves on the sea by the strong northern winds. When you see the dark sea and you hold the ground against the strong wind, these will awaken you that you are a hero, like Oshin who was a hardy TV heroin. There are a lot of sufferings in front of you, but you never give up. Sufferings creates the guts  in your mind.

Furthermore when you are in falling snow I want you to look up to the sky slowly. Falling snow crystals will embrace you quietly. I want you to put your palms in the air. Snow crystals will fall on your palms, and they will tell their stories nonverbally. Letters from Heaven make a gleam happen in your heart.

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