Nishiokoppe, Hokkaido
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Nishiokoppe, Hokkaido

Feb. 4, 2026 (edited)
[Image1]Snowplow Dozer Has ArrivedAround 4 a.m. on a winter morning.When I hear a loud peep, peep!,I groggil
[Image2]Snowplow Dozer Has ArrivedAround 4 a.m. on a winter morning.When I hear a loud peep, peep!,I groggil
[Image3]Snowplow Dozer Has ArrivedAround 4 a.m. on a winter morning.When I hear a loud peep, peep!,I groggil
[Image4]Snowplow Dozer Has ArrivedAround 4 a.m. on a winter morning.When I hear a loud peep, peep!,I groggil
[Image5]Snowplow Dozer Has ArrivedAround 4 a.m. on a winter morning.When I hear a loud peep, peep!,I groggil

Snowplow Dozer Has Arrived
Around 4 a.m. on a winter morning.
When I hear a loud peep, peep!,
I groggily realize that a lot of snow has fallen.

That loud sound
is the warning signal a snowplow makes when it backs up.

On days when snow piles up thick,
snowplows start working before dawn.

By the time many people head to school or work,
both the roadway and the sidewalks have been cleared and look neat.

The other day, during daylight hours,
a snow-dozer arrived at the parking lot of the tourist information center the Rizumu.

Because the parking spaces are smaller than usual,
we asked them to shave down the snowbanks a bit, and they came the next day.

Snow-clearing machines come in many sizes,
but this snow-dozer was really huge!

The bucket on the front
was big enough for an adult to lie down in completely.

The snowplow itself looked cool,
(just seeing a big vehicle gets your spirits up),
and the operator who handles such heavy machinery looks cool, too.

If we had scooped and carried the snow with handheld shovels,
it would have taken half a day,
but the snowplow cleared it smoothly in about an hour.

With the parking area widened,
parking and turning around became much easier, and driving grew more comfortable.

-

In a post by the neighboring town Takinoue Town account "Takinoue Biyori," which shares the lives of local people,
their interview with the town’s snow-removal center explains the snow-clearing system in detail.

It was interesting to read about how they use technology to check roads in summer
and how different snow-removal contractors coordinate with each other.

-

We are grateful to the snow-removal crews who support safe, comfortable winter living.
Thank you always.

#Snow removal #Snow-dozer

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Feb. 8, 2026
The winter forest is muddy Miyanomori, which rings the ski area, can be climbed and descended in about an hour to the shelter at the summit. On a warm day with temperatures around 0°C, the old man who lives opposite Miyanomori says he sometimes climbs it twice a day. With that reliable old man, I climbed Miyanomori too. - Thanks to the previous day’s warmth, the snow had melted, and on the packed snowshoe tracks the snow seemed walkable in rubber boots. ※Snowshoe: a device attached under boots to prevent sinking deeply into snow. Also called kanjiki. Once I bravely started walking in rubber boots, trouble began. Looking sideways and up, my feet slipped off the packed tracks and I plunged into the snow. Apparently, when your feet get caught in snow it’s called “nukareru” (to sink in). Seeing me struggle so much, the old man walked ahead for me. He climbed at a surprisingly quick pace. Out of shape from lack of exercise, I couldn’t catch up, so I climbed at my own pace without rushing. I snapped a photo of his back along the way. The old man would wait a short distance on and tell me things like, this tree died because deer ate its bark, or, it’s rare to see a vine this thick. Traces where deer had raced across slopes too steep for people, and deer prints beside the snowshoe tracks. It was a walk through this quietly snow-covered forest, feeling the presence of living creatures. 📷️ 📷️ 📷️ There are said to be over 30 stone monuments in Miyanomori. Even the old man doesn’t know why they’re there. Perhaps villagers once placed them to protect the forest. Snow perched atop a tree. Someone on social media had called a cornice “like braised pork,” and I remembered that. I saw several large katsura trees. Their branch tips twist and curl. Behind the direction signboard, the disturbed snow marks a deer trail. Something like a nut lay on the snow. From the shelter you can take in a panoramic view of the town. Just then, a ski class was in full swing at the ski area below. 📷️ 📷️ 📷️ Here are scenes from a winter walk in Miyanomori. #Miyanomori #Walk
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Feb. 3, 2026
Spinning Yarn from Wool Ski classes have also started in Nishiokoppe Village and it has become an even more enjoyable season for outdoor play in the snow. (At the same time, the cold grows severe, and we also face a season of heavy snow.) How do you spend your time at home these days? Lately, I have been spinning yarn from wool. A local dairy farmer in Nishiokoppe Village raises sheep, and because there is so much fleece, they asked if I would join them in spinning. 🐑🐑🐑 First, I wash the fleece again and again to remove dirt like dung and straw clinging to it. At this stage the wool is fluffy and full of mats, so it is hard to pull out the fibers; I use a tool called a carder to loosen the wool and make it soft and airy. I am very grateful that an acquaintance does all these pre-spinning steps for me… The blue fleece in the photos was dyed by that acquaintance. They grew indigo leaves for dyeing and gave the wool a pale sky-blue tint. 🐑🐑🐑 Now, at last, I begin spinning the yarn. At my friend’s house there was a spinning wheel where you pedal to twist and wind the yarn. It pulls fibers from the fluffy mass thinner and thinner, twisting them as it winds. You control the winding speed with the pedal, but if drawing out the fibers lags, the yarn can become overtwisted and the process fails. So I decided to spin using a tool called a spindle. You hook the drawn-out thin fibers on the top hook and set the spindle on the floor like a top; just give it a spin and the wool fibers twist into yarn. When I have spun yarn as far as my arm can reach, I wind the twisted yarn onto the shaft and continue spinning from there. 🐑🐑🐑 Round and round, twist and twist. If I move my hands while watching dramas or anime, the time flies by. By the way, if you hang the spun yarn on the wall with a weight attached overnight, the twist won’t come undone. This is how the balls of yarn you see at craft shops are made. Today I shared one moment of my time at home. I’m thinking about what to knit with the yarn I spun… When the knitted item is finished, I’ll let you know again. #sheep #wool #indigo dye

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