Winter (November - January) - Snow & Food

Hi everyone, 

I hope this post finds you all well during what has so far been a harsh winter, in many respects, to all of you in the States, overseas, and, as of late, Japan as well. 

At least during this pandemic, with very little going on, I've decided to write these updates on a seasonal basis. All things considered, no news is good news; these past couple of months Nagao has, for the most part, stayed home in Kanazawa, where there are single-digit daily infections recorded, far away from the urban hot spots such as Tokyo and Osaka. 

As I've hinted at in previous posts, Nagao's exercise regimen has only continued to increase in intensity. The cold winter season in this region, unfortunately, prevents him from venturing outside; he has renewed his commitment to the gym that fortunately is both located downstairs and perpetually empty. He also has taken more of a holistic approach, focusing on both physical and mental exercise. He starts the morning with what I would say is about an hour of stretching (I can't say for sure, he does this before anyone else is awake), a robust breakfast (the number of trips we have to make to the bakery each week is almost concerning), mental exercise apps (lumosity has been a long time favorite) and Japanese puzzles, followed by a 3 hour round of almost non-stop exercise at the gym. Quite frankly, it really does put the rest of us to shame. 

Speaking of the cold winter season, we saw levels of snowfall only seen once every 5~6 years. Kanazawa, due to its geography, experienced significantly less volume of snow, but we still saw about a foot of snow in some parts of town near New Year's Eve. Nagao's native Toyama Prefecture, which neighbors Kanazawa as is also facing the Sea of Japan, typically sees more snowfall and this year was no exception. For Nagao, having lived in California for so long, memories of times past seemed to come rushing back. Over the past couple of days, he spoke in great detail about the days he and our family spent in the cold winters back in the 1950s. Really makes you have a renewed appreciation for washing machines and dryers. 

Christmas has what I personally think is a unique presence in modern-day Japanese culture; while you see it everywhere in the form of festive lights, Christmas trees, Santa hats, and reindeer stickers, the day itself passes by without much fanfare. From a legitimate religious perspective, this is of no surprise given the religious demographics of the Japanese populace; however, for Nagao and I, who spent much of our lives in the company of those who celebrated Christmas, this whole experience has been a tad odd. Nevertheless, we still need to try the Christmas KFC meals (I urge you to look this up if you're not aware of Japan's Christmas KFC traditions). 

New Years', on the other hand, is a treasured holiday and deeply rooted in tradition here. 2021 is the year of the ox (though we tend to draw closer comparisons to the cow than that of other cultures), so the New Year is rife with cow-themed decorations and messages. On New Year's morning, a traditional meal of osechi (御節) is had, cards are delivered on the day-of, and people go to their local temples and/or shrines. Osechi is a collection of various small traditional dishes; each region has its own take, Kanazawa, for example, being a city known for its gold industry includes touches of gold leaf, and certain dishes are sourced from produce only found in the Hokuriku region to which Kanazawa is a part of. This year, we had our osechi at the famed Yamanoo (山乃尾), located by the historic higashi jaya (東茶屋) district.   Mochi, made from a chewier/sticker variant of rice, is a common dish during this time as well, served with soups, sweet red beans, or standalone. While typically made in its natural white color, Mochi can be found in red and white colored pairs in Kanazawa, which is a regional trait not found elsewhere. 

Here's to a brighter New Year, and all the best to you all! (special thanks to Jill & Chris for calling the other day!)

- akira