Tokyo Snow 2018

Advance blooming of sakura back in 2010

On January 22, 2018, heavy snow befell Tokyo. Heavy snowfall in Tokyo is quite uncommon and every occurrence is quite memorable for me. While today reminds me of the time I braved the snow to go to the gym to workout and to continue my revisions for the paper there while listening to Japanese news about the status of the snow, the past snowfall experiences I've had in Tokyo were unforgettable.

My first-ever snow photo (Feb. 2010)

Of course, the 1st one was probably the most magical experience of all. It was in 2009, during my 1st
year in Tokyo when I experienced snow for the 1st time. While knowing the snow forecast, I, together with my friends decided to wait for the snow while eating at a Japanese restaurant called "Yabu", one of my favorite restaurants near the university. I could remember exiting the restaurant and witnessing the 1st drop of snow. The feeling then was amazing. It's one of those moments when I feel grateful living in the tropical country where snow never occurs. To experience snow for the 1st time as an adult gave me a fresher memory of the experience rather than being able to experience it very young. It was also then when I realized that being in Tokyo, I'll be experiencing things for the 1st time. In deed, I've had those exciting moments

The next day, I was late to arrive in the lab. As I entered the room, my Japanese senior lab members then was actually happy for my 1st snow experience and even congratulated me. I was late because I decided to visit FutakoTamagawa, a river along my train route to the lab. I was also fortunate to see an advance blooming of a sakura tree even on February.

On the day when I wrote this article, I was standing by the window while everyone was at work and I hummed silently to myself to express my insight that the magical feeling I felt more than 8 years ago has changed. The snow felt so natural after having participated in many snow activities.

Rose origami from the restaurant's tissue

Another snow memory was playing with my university friends in the campus. I even took a video of the experience. I and my good friend Batari (Indonesian) and my Filipino friends, William and Ann, decided to play in front of the main building. There was a funny scene where Jeremy, a visiting researcher then, passed by the front on his skis. He told us it was a cross-country ski. There were other experiences such as a snowball fight with my friends Panj and Monique after having dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant (right photo shows a rose I made while looking out the window).

There were other moments as well such as that time when my return flight from the Atlanta was redirected to Nagoya instead of Tokyo, and a valentine date with my former girlfriend at Hikarie, Shibuya, and our exchanges of homemade chocolates and cookies.

Like listening to music, weather events that come quite rarely is like a memory checkpoint from which we recall vividly the epic scenes in our lives. While my heart and impression regarding the snow has changed, I am looking forward to what additional moment the next heavy snowfall in Tokyo will bring.

Below are a few shots I took of the evening while listening to the song "Broke" by Bear Attack!