Winter is Coming

I feel like I’m in a never-ending episode of Game of Thrones where everyone constantly reminds me that winter is coming. Just like in the show, I feel like I am waiting in suspense and starting to wonder if it is ever going to come. Everyday is full of foreboding comments like “oh no… it’s starting to get cold already…” (to which my mind automatically attaches an ominous “dun, dun, dun!”). Japanese artwork is full of depictions of people’s excitement over the return of spring, because it means an end of the dreaded winter season. There are countless symbols of springtime that are all seen in an overwhelmingly positive light for this same reason.

On the plus side, the arrival of the cold, snowy season means the coming of exciting things like Christmas carols on the radio, pretty lights on trees, and Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee (even in Japan). Yet, it also signifies the coming of horrible weather, as I am constantly warned. The way Japanese people where I live speak of the oncoming season with dread and expressions of fear as if they were discussing a forthcoming zombie invasion fill me with anticipatory nerves. Perhaps my one jacket, scarf, and pair of mittens will not suffice after all. When I packed my modest amount of winter clothing in preparation for my stay in Japan, I did so intentionally, figuring I wasn’t about to head into a Siberian wasteland. The way a teacher at my school described winter here was particularly concerning. He said “oh yes, big, big wind from Siberia blow down. So cold in winter, people no go outside. Stay inside with book.” Oh, dear…

Perhaps I will discover that, similar to my being horrible at living in a rainy climate, I will fail completely when trying to deal with the cold in a place where central heating isn’t really a thing. Foreboding visions of myself with clattering teeth shivering beneath an unsubstantial number of blankets plague my mind daily.

Bad grammar aside, this will be me

Not so much...

On that note, maybe everyone is overreacting. In Northern India there was no central heating in my home stay and I managed to do just fine by constantly wearing thick socks and a sweatshirt even indoors. However, that was spring, and temperatures often surpassed 60 degrees on good days. Here, the average winter weather involves harsh winds, snow, and bone-chilling cold. Or so I hear. At least, unlike in Game of Thrones, I don’t have to worry about any ice zombies heading for my town. At least, not that I know of…

Not the ice zombies!