firstsnow

Woke up to a surprise this morning, after looking out the window saw the first snow in Hokkaido, at least in the Kamikawa basin that is. We have had snow on the mountains for the past few weeks, and knew it was just a matter of time before it worked it’s way down to where we were.

firstsnow2

Here where we live you can see the first snow in Hokkaido frost the tops of the nearby mountains, in fact the tallest mountain in Hokkaido is just a short 15 minute drive from our house. Slowly you will see the snow work it’s way down here to the valley.

firstsnow3

The temperatures have been in the 5c range (41 F) today which was quite comfortable, although the roads were slushy. This is the most dangerous time of the winter season as far as driving. The temperatures are fairly warm during the day which melts the snow and ice, and then gets down to freezing at night which causes a condition called ice burn. Ice burn is where all of the roads will be iced over, which makes for very dangerous driving conditions.

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Today when we were out and about we saw a van that had crashed into the ditch and hit a pole. The windshield was shattered but we didn’t see anyone inside. This is a common sight in the winter time, and you have to take extreme caution and leave extra early to make your appointments. You also have to start stopping way before you need to, so that you don’t run into the cars in front of you.

Here in Hokkaido we have to maintain two sets of tires, a summer set and a winter set, the winter tires are specially designed soft tires to help grip the ice. While the summer tires are regular tires. Chains were outlawed here in Hokkaido some years ago because they tend to wreak havoc on the roads. Large trucks still use chains when having to climb mountain roads, but cars are prohibited from using them.

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This first snow in Hokkaido will begin a long stretch of snow, in fact starting today we will probably have snow on the ground for at least 6 months. I love this time of year, the snow is so beautiful and serene. And I love snowboarding, so I keep busy. Why don’t you make a visit to Hokkaido during the winter and try your hand at some winter sports, I can almost guarantee you will have a great time.

1. 

   Kira says:

   November 1, 2009 at 9:50 am

   Which area of hokkaido you live in? I’m planning on a trip next year, and from the pictures it seems really nice!
2. 

   Cheesie says:

   November 1, 2009 at 10:43 am

   Already???

   Im going there in Dec!
3. 

   Charles Hamel says:

   November 1, 2009 at 7:01 pm

   We are in the Asahikawa area which is considered northern Hokkaido, but if you look on the map, it looks like Asahikawa is almost directly in the center.

   If you like winter sports, winter is the best time, with the best powder snow in the world.

   If you will not be skiing or snowboarding, the autumn season when all of the trees are changing colors is beautiful.
4. 

   Charles Hamel says:

   November 1, 2009 at 7:02 pm

   Great Cheesie. In December…..bring your warm clothes and snowboard or skis.
5. 

   Snowman Japan says:

   November 1, 2009 at 9:49 pm

   Black Ice is not Ice Burn but, Ice Bahn from the German word, Autobahn.
   Don’t get too excited and try to snowboard on the rocky hills near your house, just yet.
6. 

   Charles Hamel says:

   November 2, 2009 at 8:27 am

   I thought the Bahn was where you but the hawses I’ll try and remain calm until we get a good base coat.
7. 

   Bingo says:

   November 4, 2009 at 10:04 am

   I’m sure I would have a great time! The pictures are amazing, it seems Hokkaido is a beautiful place to visit.
8. 

   James Brinkman says:

   November 4, 2009 at 8:56 pm

   Beautiful pictures! I would love to visit someday. Thank you for sharing.
9. 

   Crystal Guthrie says:

   November 5, 2009 at 1:45 am

   Wow, beautiful pictures. I would love to see it in person someday! Thank you for sharing.
10. 

    Charles Hamel says:

    November 5, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    Thanks for your comments Crystal, unfortunately it was a bit premature and has all melted now, but the end of this month it will start with a vengeance and won’t stop until March.

    Come back often
11. 

    Sam says:

    November 14, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    Yes indeed, great photos. The winter and snow hasn’t really hit us yet. My friend is really looking forward to it. He caught the snowboard bug a few years ago. cheers.
12. 

    Fausto Weiland says:

    February 6, 2010 at 10:24 am

    Very good text. I’ve found your site via Google and I’m really happy about the information you provide in your articles. Btw your sites layout is really broken on the Chrome browser. Would be really great if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the good work!