Starting Life in the Snow Area, Akita in Japan ①.

“Just set your clock 5 minutes ahead.”

My life in the snow country started with these words from a friend.

Hello! 😊 I’m Megumi, the trainee.

In this post, I will share about my first time living in a snow country. I grew up in the Seto Inland Sea area, where snow falls just a little once every three years! ⛄

cute!

You may be wondering, “Why set the clock ahead?” I was also thinking, “What does that mean?”

Apparently, when the snow starts falling a lot, it’s hard to get the car ready and drive on snow-covered roads. So, it’s very important to start everything just a little earlier! ⏰

At first, I wasn’t sure if 5 minutes would really make a difference, but during the winter, those 5 minutes saved me many times in the morning!

Super useful snow shovel for the car!

When I started warming up the car, brushing off the snow, and leaving early to get the car ready, I thought I was getting used to it. But one day, I thought, “Oh, it didn’t snow today, so I’m fine,” and left a little later.

Then, I realized that the snow that had melted earlier was now frozen on the windshield, and a heavy snow wall was blocking the front of the car! I couldn’t get out! ( ﾟДﾟ)

Then I remembered, “ I have 5 more minutes! “

I’m still getting used to it, and sometimes it takes longer than I expect to deal with snow depending on how it’s fallen.

Lake Tazawa is Amazing Every Time 🌟

I had heard that you should keep water running in the pipes so they don’t freeze, but other things around the house also freeze. In the beginning, even my dish soap and contact lens solution froze! ( ｀ー´)

I had to use a sponge with frozen dish soap, and I felt sad seeing my newly opened contact lenses frozen. I learned to keep them in a warm room to prevent freezing.

Shoveling snow is like a workout! (/・ω・)/

Since the whole house becomes like a fridge, even the bouquet of flowers I bought in December is still blooming (this was a big surprise! Maybe because the water doesn’t get warm?).

Also, the food in the fridge doesn’t change whether I keep it in or not. 🌷

I’ve found that putting canned beer or sake in the snow to chill makes them taste even better somehow! 🍺

Dealing with Snow Takes Time and Effort, But It’s Fun!

Every day is full of new experiences, and even though dealing with snow takes time and effort, I’m enjoying every bit of it! (o^―^o)