今年の冬は最近では珍しく大雪になりました。考えてみると、初めて益子に来た４０年前の冬は沢山の雪が降り、痛いくらいの身を刺す寒さだったのを覚えています。今年は４〜５回ほど雪が降り、日の当たらない所では、何日も雪は残ってました。

Perhaps the winter of 2010 will be remembered by Mashiko residents for the unusual amount of snow that came to this area.   Compared to the the present, the Tochigi Prefecture of forty years ago (when I first arrived from California) was really a lot colder and a lot whiter from December to March.  Nevertheless, somewhat unexpectedly, it snowed here four or five times, and some of it remained for quite awhile in places that are out of reach of direct sunlight.

ある日、夜遅くまで仕事をしていて、ふと外に目を向けると初雪が降ってました。２、３時間の間に結構積もり、雪が止んだ頃、夜空には雲一つなく星が輝いてました。庭は白銀の絨毯を敷いたかのようで、天頂に位置する煌々と輝く満月が、その絨毯を照らしてました。

The first snowfall that we had began late one night, while I happened to still be working.  A lot had fallen within only a few hours, at the end of which the clouds had completely moved on.  I saw our garden completely covered by a soft white blanket, illuminated by the full moon that was directly overhead.

その晩は、とても寒く夜明け前でも雪は溶けずに残ってました。目が覚めて窓の外を見ると、今までに見た事の無い美しい白銀の世界が飛び込んできました。もう二度とこの美しい景色は見れないと思い、急いでカメラを手に早朝の庭へ飛び出しました。空は澄んだ青色で、木々達は雪で覆われ真っ白に雪化粧をされてました。まるで、庭全体に透き通った天蓋を覆ったようです！！

It had been a cold night because the sky was clear, so by dawn none of the snow had melted.  After I awoke I was treated to the most exquisite winter view of our garden that I have ever seen, or probably ever will see.  The color of the morning sky was a perfect blue, and the tree branches, flocked with snow, made the garden appear to be covered by a canopy of glittering crystal!

３月に入り、益子は冬と春の境目にいます。本格的なシーズンになるにはまだまだほんの入り口。でも春は確実にそこまで来てます。

Now that March is here I’m glad to say that we’ve passed the seasonal tipping point in Mashiko. It’s too early to claim that our area has warmed up, but at least it’s getting warmer, and evidence is everywhere that Winter is giving way to Spring.

昼間の時間も少しだけ長さを感じ、私のいつもの散歩コースにも春らしい鮮やかな色が戻りつつあります。 春の訪れを楽しんでいるのは私だけではないみたいですね。

Hours of daylight are noticeably longer. While on my daily walks I can see vibrant color steadily returning to the landscape. I’m not the only one who enjoys the views!

気が早い話ですが、一ヶ月後には淡い桜色の世界、お花見のシーズンです！

Though it’s still a bit too early to think seriously about it, cherry blossom viewing is only about a month away!