The First Snow!
The mountains turned white today.
So beautiful…
It’s that annual day when I feel deeply grateful to live here.
The coming season has officially begun?
after all, that white on the peaks is none other than snow itself!
Here it comes, here it comes!
And with that, I just can’t resist the urge to reach out and touch what I see.
If I had the slightest chance, I’d already be out there on skis.
This giddy excitement?it hits me every year.
I once even shuffled on skis across the snow that had settled on the boardwalk up in Tengu-hara.
And another time, I slid down a tiny strip of snow that had fallen from the hut roof in the
Nature Park.
Ridiculous, touching, and funny?that’s me in a nutshell.
There’s always a day like this each year when joy wells up from somewhere beyond myself.
That might just be what happiness really means.
Today, I took half a day off from kayakari (reed-cutting) work and rode my bike uphill.
I did briefly consider using an e-bike,
but touching the first snow of the season feels like a sacred ritual.
So I chose the honest way?sweating, gasping, and pedaling hard.
The autumn colors along the road were breathtaking.
Kinsh??the brocade of fall?couldn’t be more fitting.
Higher up, all the leaves had already fallen,
and the white ridgelines of the mountains stood out in perfect clarity.
It was so beautiful that I suddenly felt foolish huffing alone,
so I stopped, got off, and walked my bike slowly,
taking in the scene at my own pace.
Ah… I’ve really grown up, haven’t I?
At the Nature Park, I made my customary stop to check on the char.
The polarizing filter I bought just for this lens has been earning its keep.
The gondola and ropeway to the park will wrap up summer operations this three-day weekend,
and the winter season kicks off on November 28.
I also stopped by the Tsuga-no-Mori slope,
where the test runs of the brand-new snow machines had left clear traces.
Oh! I got to touch both natural and man-made snow today?bonus!
By the time I got back down, the Dodgers had lost.
Ah well… next game!
Then it was off to the afternoon’s reed-cutting work.
What a happy, contented day that was.
October 30, 2025
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