My First Time Prepping for a Tohoku Winter, dadon! So Much I Didn't Know as a Southern Boy, dadon

Hey everyone! It’s Zundadon, dadon!

It’s November now, dadon. It’s the season where you yelp “Eek!” the moment you get out of your futon in the morning, dadon.

This Saturday, November 7th, is Ritto (the first day of winter), dadon. On the calendar, it’s already the start of winter, dadon.

So today, I’m going to talk about my first time preparing for winter, dadon!🧣

🌴 Last Winter, I Just Shivered, dadon

I’ll start with a slightly embarrassing story, dadon.

I came from a southern country, dadon. My homeland is warm all year round, dadon.

Last fall, I had just arrived here and didn’t even know the phrase “winter prep,” dadon.

So last winter, I just shivered in my room in my usual clothes, and before I knew it, it was spring, dadon.

Zundamon: “Zundadon, last year you were just wrapped in a blanket and didn’t move at all, nanoda.”
Me: “I was just hibernating, dadon.”
Zundamon: “Are you a bear, nanoda?”

This year, I’m going to prepare properly, dadon. I made up my mind and consulted a reliable friend, dadon.

📝 Metan’s Shopping List, dadon

The person I consulted was Shikoku Metan, dadon. When you think of planning in the Zunda Union, you think of Metan, dadon.

Five minutes after I asked her, she produced a piece of paper, dadon.

Metan: “Here, a list. I’ve put what you need in order of priority.”
Me: “You made it already, dadon!?”
Metan: “I figured you’d come asking, so I made it ahead of time. …It’s not like I was worried or anything.”

Metan is so kind, dadon. She’ll get mad if I say it to her face, so I’ll just secretly write it here, dadon.

Here’s what was on the list, dadon.

Gloves… Because your fingertips get cold first, these are the top priority, dadon.
A scarf… Apparently, warming your neck makes your whole body feel different, dadon.
Thick socks… I always wear sandals, so these are important, dadon.
Warm underwear… Thin, warm undergarments to wear under your clothes, dadon.
A snow shovel… For when the snow piles up, dadon.

My clothes have a short hem, leaving my shins completely exposed, dadon. That was fine in my southern country, but the November wind in Tohoku cuts right through to my shins, dadon.

Metan: “The socks-and-sandals combination is… well, I’ll turn a blind eye this year.”

🧣 I Bundled Up So Much I Got Dizzy, dadon

Zundadon looking dizzy while holding a mountain of cold-weather gear like gloves, a scarf, and thick socks

The three of us—Metan, Zundamon, and me—went shopping and got everything on the list, dadon.

When we got back, I was so happy that I tried wearing everything at once, dadon.

I put on the undergarments, my clothes over them, wrapped the scarf around twice, put on the gloves, and wore two pairs of socks.

And then, I couldn’t bend my arms, dadon.

Zundamon: “Zundadon turned into a perfectly round green snowman, nanoda!”
Me: “I can’t move, dadon… but it’s warm, dadon…”

On top of that, I did it indoors, so I immediately got all sweaty and dizzy, dadon.

Metan taught me with a sigh, dadon.

Metan: “You don’t wear everything at once. You layer thin clothes and take one off if you get hot. That’s the most efficient way. If you go outside while you’re sweaty, you’ll actually get colder.”

I see, dadon. With winter clothes, taking them off might be just as important as putting them on, dadon.

🚗 People in Town Were Starting to Change to Winter Tires, dadon

On the way back from shopping, I saw a long line of cars in front of an auto shop, dadon.

The shop staff were super busy, taking tires off and putting them on, dadon.

Me: “Why is everyone changing their tires, dadon?”
Metan: “They’re changing to winter tires. They’re less likely to slip on snowy or icy roads.”

I don’t drive, so this was a whole new world to me, dadon.

According to Metan, there’s no set day when you have to change them. Instead, there’s a general call to change them early, before the snow really starts to fall, dadon.

The first snow in Sendai is usually around November 17th, dadon. Metan said that a lot of people change their tires by then.

Everyone prepares properly before the snow comes, dadon. The people of Tohoku know how to handle winter, dadon.

🌲 We Put Up a Yukigakoi for the Tree in the Garden, dadon

Zundadon and Zundamon wrapping a rope around a short tree in the garden to make a yukigakoi

Last was the yukigakoi, dadon. This was another word I’d heard for the first time, dadon.

It’s when you surround a tree with things like boards, bamboo, rope, or straw mats to keep the branches from breaking under the weight of the snow, dadon.

There’s also something called yukitsuri, where you use ropes to suspend and support the branches from above, dadon.

In the snowy regions of Tohoku, this work usually starts around November, dadon.

Apparently, it doesn’t pile up that much around here. But Metan said, “Let’s do it for the short trees, just for practice,” dadon.

So, Zundamon and I wrapped a rope around a short tree in the garden, dadon.

Zundamon: “Round and round, nanoda~”
Me: “Zundamon, you’re wrapping that around my leg, dadon.”
Zundamon: “A yukigakoi for Zundadon, too, nanoda.”

…Maybe she was worried about my shins looking cold, dadon. I have a feeling that’s not it, though, dadon.

The properly wrapped tree looked kind of like a person wearing a scarf, dadon. Trees prepare for winter, too, dadon.

❄️ What’s Snow Like, dadon?

After we finished everything, I was thinking about it while drinking some warm tea, dadon.

Last winter, I only saw white stuff fluttering outside the window and never went outside once, dadon.

So, I’ve never actually touched snow, dadon.

Me: “What does snow feel like, dadon? Is it cold, dadon? Is it fluffy, dadon?”
Zundamon: “It’s cold and fluffy, and it gets hard when you squeeze it, nanoda.”
Metan: “When it snows, you can find out for yourself. That’s what the gloves are for, right?”

That’s right, dadon. This year, I have gloves and a scarf, dadon.

I’m starting to get a little excited for it to snow, dadon.

💚 Today’s Summary, dadon

This Saturday, November 7th, is Ritto. On the calendar, it’s the start of winter, dadon.
I used Metan’s list to get gloves, a scarf, thick socks, warm underwear, and a snow shovel, dadon.
Wearing everything at once will make you dizzy, dadon. The right way is to layer thin clothes and take them off if you get hot, dadon.
Change to winter tires early, before the snow really starts. The average first snow in Sendai is around November 17th, dadon.
A yukigakoi is how trees prepare for winter, dadon.

You can see my profile on Zundadon’s page, and the master planner who was the most help this time on Shikoku Metan’s page, dadon!

I hope everyone else prepares for winter before it gets really cold, dadon. I’m going to start by protecting my shins, dadon.

This was Zundadon, dadon~!🌴💚