Tokyo palm tree looks desolate in heavy snowfall

近所の駐車場にあるシュロというヤシはいつも寂しい感じです。雪の日は、もっと寂しそうです。うるう年２０１２年。

I love how this sad parking lot palm tree looks especially desolate in snow. Leap Day, 2012.

Snowy cherry tree outside elementary school. Heavy snow makes Tokyo oddly quiet.

大雪のときに、東京は異常に静かになります。車も人の数も少なくなります。この桜は近所の小学校の入口で、もう一ヶ月くらいで咲くはず。

Less than one week later, it feels like a spring afternoon. Tokyo becomes oddly quiet during heavy snowfall. Fewer cars, fewer people outside. This cherry tree outside my local elementary school will be blooming in just one more month.

Thick gobs of snow pile up on plum blossoms

雪が降っているときは、東京は白黒映画みたいです。最近、この梅の木の夜の写真を載せました。先週の雪が木のかたちを大きく見せました。うるう年の日、２０１２年。

When it snows, it seems as if Tokyo is a city of black and white. Recently I posted a photo of this plum tree at night. Just as the blossoms are peaking, thick gobs of snow magnify the tree’s shape.

Leap Day, 2012.

Leap Day snow falling on the Sobu line train

うるう年の２月２９日は雪がたくさん降っていました。いつも行く東京の道や場所を、新鮮な目で見たかったです。総武線のホームから。

Leap Day in Tokyo saw a surprising amount of snow, falling in large gobs from the sky and from roofs. Someone tipped me off that the trains are less impacted than the underground subway, and that snow slows the city less than rain. I took photos of a routine trip from my home.

The snow helped me see Tokyo again from a fresh perspective.