I’m a little sore in my shoulders - from pushing with the poles - and legs, but otherwise my body feels great! Last night, they forecasted snowfall across Gunma - about 30 cm. When I woke up this morning, it sounded like it was snowing so I jumped out of bed at 6:15 am and ripped open my curtains. SNOW!! I ran to get my boots and coat, and stepped outside on the front and back porch area to take some dark photos. The snow was coming down thick and wet. I estimate about 4-5 inches. A bunch is sliding off rooftops so you have to watch out!

After showering, I was way ahead of schedule so I went for a walk to the nearby shrine and took photos. The roads look horrible. No snow plows will do that. A couple cars had left my parking lot. I saw some tree branches cracked off. Back at home, I also lost power for a minute. Made me nervous about the power lines. I tromped my way to school, leaving a bit earlier. About twelve teachers were out in the parking lot shoveling snow. I dropped off my bag and joined them. A couple students trickled in. Trains are canceled so the phones were ringing off the hook in the staffroom with parents calling in. Normally when public transport is canceled, there’s no school for the students, teachers still have to show up or take PTO. But because some local students showed up anyways, they have to do something with them.

Post-shoveling, many teachers huddled around the heater. There are coats surrounding it on chairs, and a pair of pants hanging from the ceiling to dry. Classes started an hour late with the first class being canceled. We then had a meeting at lunchtime where they canceled the rest of the day, and the first class for tomorrow. It’s quite wet outside so I’d imagine it’ll all turn to ice overnight. On the walk home, there were a bunch of older ladies out shoveling. People also were clearing the roads in front of their houses.