For some people, traveling to Japan in the winter may be the first time they see snow.
When I was little, I was a child very sensitive to cold, but snow days were a different story. I remember waking up and immediately running outside after seeing snow falling.
Snow falling down gently like feathers
The dry, crunching sound of walking on snow
In a world suddenly turned pure white, things seemed completely different than the day before, and it made my heart leap.
On snowy days like that, Japanese children love making snowmen. Foreign countries also make snowmen, but a Japanese snowman is subtly different. The main difference is the shape- whereas overseas snowmen usually consist of three parts, with a head, body and lower parts, and have a more human-like shape by attaching arms and legs, etc.,
Snowmen in Japan, on the other hand, usually consist of two parts, with a head and a torso. Based on Daruma, good luck charms in Japan, it is said that Snowmen in Japan, called in Japanese “Yuki Daruma” or “Snow Daruma”, are also auspicious of good luck. These days, though, children in Japan make snowmen in a daruma shape without thinking too much about any deeper meaning.
Making a snowman in the Japanese style is very simple. Just make two snowballs of a certain size and stack them on top of each other.
By the way, it is said that snowmen in Japan were originally made not just as good luck charms, but also made by adults to surprise children when they woke up in the morning. If you should happen to encounter snow on your trip to Japan, it could be fun to return to your childhood by making a snowman, and taking a commemorative photo with it.