This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
Of the many things I look forward to in Japan throughout the year, seeing the trees and shrubs after they have been prepared for winter is one of my favorites. If that sounds strange, I can understand why.
I don't really have a good reason for why I love seeing these geometric and linear forms decorating parks, standing over trees, and poking out from behind the walls that surround houses here. I just do. They seem to add a new dimension to the world around me. In some ways, they make me feel as if I had momentarily walked into the space of an M.C. Escher lithograph and by doing so, they add a little something extra to my day. They also serve as a nice reminder that I no longer live in the land I was born and raised in, which, believe it or not, is easy to forget on a day-to-day basis.
If you come to the northern parts of Japan in late November or early December, you will most likely see men in coveralls standing on three-legged ladders carefully tieing sturdy bamboo poles to the trunks of trees and then patiently securing each of the trees' branches to these poles with fairly thick twine rope. The process takes time, and I often find myself surprised that cities these days still fund such projects. I must say, though, I'm glad that they do.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
Very interesting and seems a practical way to keep snow from ruining the shrubbery. I haven't seen this before in the Tokyo area, but then again snow is quite rare in Tokyo. Sometimes I wish I lived farther north; would be awesome to have a white Christmas!
I don't know how practical it is, but it works, and it protects a lot of beautiful trees. I really have no idea how common the practice is, but I've seen it in a few places.
Having snow is what makes winter bearable for me. Without snow it's just cold.
Enjoyed again :) Merry Christmas!
I'm glad to hear it. I enjoyed your recent post about the traditional Korean village you visited. It looked like a fun getaway. Do they prepare trees for snow like this in Korea as well?
I haven't seen an exact same thing, but I saw trees wrapped up in straw during winter. Even if it's not winter, it is easy to see trees supported by three or four sticks.