Snow in Kamakura!

Apparently a light dusting of snow happens most years, but today we're getting a substantial accumulation (15cm or more) of heavy, wet snow.

I used to look at ukiyo-e of snow in this country, or watch jidai-geki (period piece, meaning samurai) movies and wonder why people in this country used umbrellas in the snow, rather than putting on a decent coat and leaving it at that. In America, it's sort of rare for people to use umbrellas in the snow, but I now get it. Here, even up in Yuki-guni (Snow Country) parts of Japan, most of the time it's not really cold. It's right around freezing, which is not actually uncomfortable unless you're wet -- and the snow here will soak right through many a winter coat, where in a colder, drier climate you could brush the snow right off.

The Great Buddha has been sitting outside in the sun and snow for 510 years, now. He doesn't seem to mind, though in the snow I suspect it takes more willpower to remain so stoic.