further evidence of winter in Gunma-ken

Yes, it was snowy in Takayama. But you know what Takayama doesn't have? Incredible, frigid Siberian wind. If I had to choose between heavy snow and this ridiculous dry wind, I think I'd choose the snow. There have been a couple of days when the wind was steady at 10mph, with much more powerful gusts that make it incredibly difficult to ride a bike without suddenly veering into stone walls or curbs. A couple of days, I've chosen to walk instead of ride simply because I knew it'd be a struggle to actually get anywhere.

Further, it's a very dry wind. Winters in Gunma are typically very dry - there's currently an advisory out warning about the dangers of dehydration. We haven't seen any precipitation in about two weeks, but it feels like longer. Everything's all brown and dry. Benni-sensei's hands are all cracked from the lack of moisture in the air (and there are more commercials for healing ointments and lotions than I can count). It certainly explains why my hair has been considerably less frizzy lately. I'm surprised my hands aren't cracked and peeling too, as they usually are that way during winter. It's been warmer the past couple days, though, with temperatures in the higher single digits. It'd be quite pleasant out if not for this ridonkulous wind.

Here are some pictures I took on the 24th, just to give you an idea of the view I sometimes I have of the mountains north of Isesaki. I had to climb onto a skywalk to get them, but it's nice to know that there's a view to see. This is Mount Akagi, which is the largest mountain in Gunma. It doesn't come to one tall peak, but as you can see, is spread out a bit. One of my students told me that Akagi-san is famous for its silhouette: because it has many small peaks, it resembles a woman lying on her side. You can't really see that from the angle of these pictures, but in other places in Isesaki, that's exactly what it looks like. The best such view is near the Isesaki bus station, which I pass on the way to the train station. Next time I'm walking that way, I'll try to remember to take a picture of it.