The Weather in Japan

This post is in response to the many emails and posts I get asking me to discuss the weather here in Japan. No, that's a joke. Nobody emails me and nobody posts. And if they did, I doubt they would ask me about the weather in Japan. Low-interest mortgages, Christian singles online, penis enlargement, breast enlargement, perhaps, but not about the weather.
However, the weather plays an important role in life here. In fact, the Japanese discuss the weather. A lot. When I lived in Taiwan, the surest way of starting a conversation was to inquire about whether the other person had eaten or if they knew of a good food stall. In fact, the Taiwanese expression for hello (ja ba buei) literally translates to "Have you eaten yet?". In Japan, the surest way of beginning a conversation is to mention the weather. Though it sounds corny to American ears, discussing the weather is an especially good topic here and one which Japanese people seem to enjoy greatly. Traditionally, letters and speeches are begun with a salutation and some comment on the weather. The arrival of fall, the coming of spring, etc.
Thus, this post. Right now, it's cold. My fellow gaijin sensei would describe it as "damn cold" but I'm a true Washingtonian, so it's only long-sleeve shirt weather. However, in the upper reaches of Hiroshima prefecture, there is quite a bit of snow - that's where the fore and aft pictures were taken. Here in Kure, there is very little rain and cloudy days are intermitent. It does get quite chilly at night and without central air or any insulation in the walls, my apartment gets a bit nippy. Fortunately, I have an electric coil space heater circa 1972 that is not dangerous at all, mostly because I haven't actually seen it shoot sparks.
Like in Taiwan, the weather in Japan can change quite rapidly. I remember back home, clouds would lazily drift across the sky, like fat people strolling in Georgia. Here, the things scoot around like skinny Mississippi crackheads late for a Klan meeting.
I'm told the spring time is lovely and the world famous cherry blossoms will be blooming soon. Sort of an anti-climactic thing - they are just flowers, after all - but I'm sure it will be nice. I'll take some pictures of them, too. For now, here's the snow.