Snow

Yuki

Far more than just a meteorological phenomenon, snow is a defining element of Japanese culture. It’s no wonder that some regions of the country are known as yukiguni (雪国) (“snow country”), a poetic term used to describe certain areas in the north of Honshu—Japan’s largest and main island, home to some of the archipelago’s major cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. These regions experience some of the heaviest snowfall in the world due to moist air currents from the Sea of Japan that hit the high mountains in the center of the island, causing heavy snowstorms in the westernmost region. As a result, they can accumulate more snow than certain areas in the far north of Japan, in Hokkaido. Yukiguni, in fact, is the original title of Yasunari Kawabata’s Snow Country, a classic work of Japanese literature (Nobel Prize in Literature, 1968) inspired by Yuzawa, a small town in Niigata that has become a famous Japanese winter tourist destination.

Facing long and harsh winters, residents of these regions must adapt to extreme conditions: houses are built to withstand heavy snowfalls, and people must choose specific foods and cooking methods during cold temperatures. Beyond these adaptations in daily life, the arrival of winter in Japan also heralds highly-anticipated events, such as snow festivals, which draw many visitors; the winter sports season in regions like Nagano; and the unique landscapes of the “snow monsters” in Yamagata and the roads with massive white walls of over 15 meters (about 50 feet) of accumulated snow in Tateyama.

In this setting, the line between sky and earth dissolves into a vast presence of white, unfolding into subtle nuances. Seppaku (雪白) evokes the purity of snow that accumulates gradually, while sesshoku (雪色) describes the icy, bluish hue of the landscape under the intense cold. In traditional homes, these tones contrast with another color, nyūhakushoku (乳白色), the milky, warm white of the light filtering through the translucent paper of shōji sliding doors.

Although snow is present only during one season of the year, its influence on daily life in Japan is not limited to that period. Inspiring literary works and even color classifications, snow in Japan also has a specific glossary to describe each of its stages. This demonstrates that the way we understand the world and express ourselves is also influenced by the climate and geography around us.

Technical advice provided by Kazuyuki Natori, President of the Japan Color Research Institute (General Incorporated Foundation), and Shoko Isawa, former professor at Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University and Ph.D. in Engineering.

Source: Special Color Dictionary Wonderful & Beautiful 888. Supervised by Teruko Sakurai. Published by Tokyo Shoseki.