Journal of a Sabbatical

The Travel Diaries

Hokkaido 1997

October 26, 1997




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the small snow

it's snowing

I was bent over a table in the workroom "listening to the jokes of Steve" when I looked up and saw the snow coating the red berries of the tree outside the window. I dashed back to my room, grabbed the camera and photographed the snow : on the red berries, on the larch trees, on the birches, on the pines, on the old house, on Rick... I would have walked up the hill to the small shrine but was afraid it would be too slippery. The trail is really steep.

The snow was melted off the trees by midafternoon and I was glad I had taken pictures.

later...

Hiromitsu gave a slide show of the university forest in all seasons. His slides were beautiful - birds and deer as well as trees.

where the onions go

I asked Hiromitsu about the onions. He said that almost all of the onions from this region go to Osaka. I guess they use a lot of onions in Osaka. I've been told that Japanese cuisine doesn't use onions very much, but the kitchen staff here uses them pretty liberally. Being in the midst of onion farms and harvest time, I guess that's logical.

recurring dream

I've been having a recurring dream about a huge snowstorm with blizzard winds that traps us in Rokugo. I'm on the road next to the fire station and I can't get out. The snow is blowing in my face and stinging and blinding me, and the wind is holding me back. Inside the fire station I can see huge snow plows but they can't get out either.

windy night

At night here the wind just roars down from the mountains and shakes the sliding doors and windows of our house. I'm glad to have the extra quilts in the tatami room.

 

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