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Luck of Ice
In Michi no Sato, winter is a glorious time, filled with traditions and games that one would never see anywhere else. The locals aren't shy about sharing the joy, and are more than happy to explain for you if you show curiosity.
Ice Emblems
It's not uncommon to see the locals out in the snow, during a lull in the powdery fall, with a pitcher of water and a spoon. Doing what, you might ask? Well, they're making good luck charms.
To do this is simple, really. You carve a niche in the snow in a pattern of your choice, the more detailed the better, and you pour water into it. If the water doesn't melt away the ice, you come back again the next day. Only emblems that freeze overnight are considered worth keeping, as all others are unlucky.
Some locals are quite unlucky.
Ice Sliding
This event, unlike the emblems, is all about having fun. First you find a nice steep bit of cliff face, then you spray it down with water until you have an ice slide. Finally, once you're sure the ice isn't about to melt on you, you take up a blanket, the local kids have plenty, and go for it.
It's even better on the steeper parts of the cliff, but make sure you have a place to end up or you might end up in a very uncomfortable position.
Ice Skating
Perhaps the most recognizable of all the chilly traditions the locals seem to enjoy, the denizens of Michi no sato go the extra mile, and just to the North of the village is a rather shallow, but huge, pond that the villagers have turned into a massive ice skating surface and obstacle course.
The upside? If the ice just so happens to be weak anywhere, you only need worry falling through to about the waist.
The Grand Masque
Just as fall has a festival, so does winter. This one, however, seems to carry a darker theme. The finery is the same, but the colors are changed, with white being predominant. The color of death. White kimono, sashes, fluttering hair veils and hats, you see them all as you go down the streets.
There is no music at this festival, though that is not to say there is no joy, but it is a crisp, cold festival, with iced treats and masks instead of cider and games. At this festival it is easy to find supplies for a hard long winter, and blue lit lanterns light the streets, casting an eerie glow as the sun goes down earlier and earlier in the day.
The only color in this festival are the masks, which carry every color under the rainbow, and have all sorts before them from simple eye coverings to full head regalia with feathers or fur. This festival is meant to celebrate the danger of the season, and does it well, but let it not be said that it won't prepare you.
In Michi no Sato, winter is a glorious time, filled with traditions and games that one would never see anywhere else. The locals aren't shy about sharing the joy, and are more than happy to explain for you if you show curiosity.
Ice Emblems
It's not uncommon to see the locals out in the snow, during a lull in the powdery fall, with a pitcher of water and a spoon. Doing what, you might ask? Well, they're making good luck charms.
To do this is simple, really. You carve a niche in the snow in a pattern of your choice, the more detailed the better, and you pour water into it. If the water doesn't melt away the ice, you come back again the next day. Only emblems that freeze overnight are considered worth keeping, as all others are unlucky.
Some locals are quite unlucky.
Ice Sliding
This event, unlike the emblems, is all about having fun. First you find a nice steep bit of cliff face, then you spray it down with water until you have an ice slide. Finally, once you're sure the ice isn't about to melt on you, you take up a blanket, the local kids have plenty, and go for it.
It's even better on the steeper parts of the cliff, but make sure you have a place to end up or you might end up in a very uncomfortable position.
Ice Skating
Perhaps the most recognizable of all the chilly traditions the locals seem to enjoy, the denizens of Michi no sato go the extra mile, and just to the North of the village is a rather shallow, but huge, pond that the villagers have turned into a massive ice skating surface and obstacle course.
The upside? If the ice just so happens to be weak anywhere, you only need worry falling through to about the waist.
The Grand Masque
Just as fall has a festival, so does winter. This one, however, seems to carry a darker theme. The finery is the same, but the colors are changed, with white being predominant. The color of death. White kimono, sashes, fluttering hair veils and hats, you see them all as you go down the streets.
There is no music at this festival, though that is not to say there is no joy, but it is a crisp, cold festival, with iced treats and masks instead of cider and games. At this festival it is easy to find supplies for a hard long winter, and blue lit lanterns light the streets, casting an eerie glow as the sun goes down earlier and earlier in the day.
The only color in this festival are the masks, which carry every color under the rainbow, and have all sorts before them from simple eye coverings to full head regalia with feathers or fur. This festival is meant to celebrate the danger of the season, and does it well, but let it not be said that it won't prepare you.
