Things I love about winter in Japan: yukigakoi

I think we'd probably all agree that Japan is a pretty respectful country, especially when it comes to all things nature-based. There's a reverence for nature here that I hadn't experienced in my home country to the same level, with care and thoughtfulness really being noticeable. 

One thing I love about the winter months here is the practice of yukigakoi. Basically, this is a method of protecting trees from toppling over from the weight of heavy snowfall with a combination wooden frameworks, bamboo, straw, or ropes. You may have seen it before in imagery of places like Kanazawa's Kenrokuen, which is famous for the practice.

We see it on some trees out here, but I also had to smile recently when I saw some yukigakoi protection over some rabbit statues at a shrine in Gosen. Winter is well on its way, and I appreciate that someone went to this level of effort to keep the rabbits safe and well!