I'm a big fan of the red berries that populate Kyoto's fall and winter, and of snow (well, at least so long as I don't have to drive), so it was a treat to get the combination today when we awoke to a nice few inches of snow.

The obligatory “snow views from the livingroom window” shots...

The sun was shining on the branches above, so they were starting to half melt, and so there were a lot of shiny/sparkley drops hanging from the branches. I don't think I captured it very well.

Before bringing Anthony to school, I checked the web cam at Kinkakuji (“The Golden Pavilion”), which was mentioned in a comment a few days ago, and found that it looked quite nice in the snow, even with a cheap web-cam capture.

Upon arriving at school – after a flat, uneventful drive – much to Anthony's delight, he was engaged in mortal snow combat by Mizuki-chan's daddy.

It's cliché to take a self portrait in a roadside mirror, but I've done it before, and again today. Luckily, this time, the big front of my 17-55 f/2.8 lens and the puffy camera raincoat help preserve your tender retina...

There's actually a word in Japanese that means “travelling to/from preschool”: 通園 – tsuuen.

Back near home, these clusters of pine needles formed bowls that collected great quantities of snowflake.

The broad leaves of these plants were particularly weighted down.

The picture above of the Kyoto Biwako Canal as it passes next to the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art was taken this morning from about the same place as the second photo of this cherry-blossom post, and the last photo of this “colors of spring” post. The water level is much lower in today's shot, though, because they generally lower it by about four feet during the winter so that repair work can be done at various points along its length.

Not everyone enjoyed the snow... besides being troublesome for anyone having to drive for a living, it made more work for others as well...