The narrowest house of Kitakami

And the longest too!

Almost no snow this year

But after last winter's heavy snow loads, all the people have secured their garden plants against being damaged by the snow, using decorative tying-techniques (see also here , here and here).

Self-discipline

Hungry, but self-controlled dog.

New year's party

Dance performance at a shinenkai (New Year's Party).

Companies, clubs and all kind of societies celebrate these parties during the whole month of January.

Still life with one old house and two old cars

All three of them are abandoned.

Naked

Another post about the Japanese and their cars - isn't this a strange name for a car?

But it seems that the meaning isn't actually very important; many people don't speak english so they don't understand it. But it is important that the name comes from a foreign language or at least sounds like that, because this is fancy.

There are lots of other strange names, maybe I'll show you some occasionally.

The sky above our neighbourhood

Cables wherever you look.

Morning light, morning snow

And the street was like a skating rink.

Another beautiful garden entrance gate

Hot spring station

This is the station of the small town of Yuda on the Kitakami-line. It's famous for having a hot spring bath directly in the station building.

Houses in the fields

Spring is coming

... with pink plastic plum blossoms sprouting from the lamp post.

International telephone

In Japan, you can't use all puplic phones to make international calls, it has to be one marked as such - like this english looking phone box close to Kitakami station. Note the Onikenbai-devil masks, the emblem of Kitakami.

Front of a house in the traditional japanese style (but I think it is not a real old one, rather an imitation).

Snowy garden

Steam van

From time to time, this van is driving around our neighbourhood very slowly, constantly emitting a strident noise (like a giant pressure cooker), and you can stop it to buy steamed sweet potatos from the driver.

Sledging kid

... and on the photo, you can't see how fast he went actually!

Typical japanese restaurant near our house.

Sorry, another car picture

Shiny truck with New Year talisman.

Warm welcome for Mr. Mark

But he is immediately informed that he is not allowed to smoke here, in English and Japanese. (If I interpret the Japanese kanji correctly, they mean something like "the ban of smoking is love" (???). (Japanese speakers, please correct me!)

Society should reflect ...

Good idea. And after reflecting, people perhaps will stop buying such cars for driving through the earth's tender environment.

Shrines for sale

Shrine visit for the beginning of the New Year (most people go there during the first three days of January).

Another strange car

There are really many strange looking car types existing in this country.

Trimmed tree

Trees are not allowed to grow very high in this town.

You can't start soon enough!

Gambling machines for children at a local supermarket.

Lampion illumination at a shrine during the New Year's night.

Incredibly blue berries

Although I'm a botanist, I have no idea what species this might be.

Skiing season is open

At Geto ski resort, in the mountains of Kitakami.

And because of the New Year's holidays (the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of January are public holidays), lots of people are coming to ski, even from far away, although there isn't so much snow yet.

Very yellow

Pachinko and slot center.