SNOWFLAKES AND T-SHIRTS

It's winter, and the question I hear more than anything else is: "Aren't you cold?"

You see, Tokyo winters are like a lukewarm cup of tea compared to Switzerland's icy blast. Temperatures rarely drop below freezing, and snow is a rare guest. Though when it does snow, Tokyo turns into a scene from a disaster movie. Road traffic grinds to a halt, and pedestrians shuffle along the pavement as if they’re auditioning for a role in a slapstick comedy on ice.

I vividly recall a blizzard in early 2024, where a mere 8 cm of snow wreaked havoc in the capital, forcing me to spend 3 ½ hours on my 15-kilometre commute home. Thankfully, that kind of chaos is rare.

But a recent example in November showed that paralysis on streets, train and tram lines no longer seems the prerogative of countries or cities unaccustomed to snowfall, such as Tokyo (or England). According to my brother’s first-hand accounts, the city of Basel came to a complete standstill, while Swiss newspaper headlines screamed “Alpine nation collapses due to a few centimetres of snow”.

Apparently, meteorologists had predicted the snowfall days in advance. Yet, everyone seemed surprised. Cars were piling up on the streets, where the snow remained, with people wondering whether the snowplough drivers might be working from home…

In Basel, buses and trams gave up entirely, while many trains from the Swiss Federal Railways were cancelled or delayed, reminiscent of the notorious German Railways.

At Zurich’s main station, crowds gathered in front of the information boards, but even the technology seemed overwhelmed by the winter weather. Trains were announced that had already left – or never showed up.

Parallels were drawn to England, where a bit of snowfall brings the whole country to a halt, and reference was made to the going joke that it was “the wrong kind of snow”.

Cynical voices pointed out that Switzerland was not England, but an Alpine nation used to snow, and with a proud history of efficient snow-clearing techniques, and they pondered the question whether “Switzerland has forgotten what winter is because of global warming”…

Back to Tokyo: Winters here are – thankfully – mild, short, and blessed with weeks of dry weather and sunshine. So dry, in fact, that our humidifiers have to work overtime like they're pulling double shifts. Keeping the house cosy is a breeze, though, even without proper central heating. I lounge around in a T-shirt and shorts, feeling like I'm on a tropical vacation. Generally poor insulation in Japanese houses means we spend a fortune on electricity and gas, but that's another story (Culture clash of comfort ).

When I venture outside, a pair of slacks and a down jacket are all I need beside a T-shirt or a short-sleeved shirt. Who needs thick jumpers and thermal underwear? Tokyoites, apparently. As soon as the temperature dips into single digits, they start complaining how “freezing” it is outside, and bundle up like they're on an Arctic expedition, only to practically melt in the overheated subway trains.

Indoors, my summer attire often prompts the inevitable question: "Aren't you cold?" Some look at me enviously, nodding knowingly and quoting the myth that Japanese people have a lower average body temperature than those from other regions, supposedly making them more susceptible to cold.

When I sneeze or blow my nose – thanks to year-round allergies – people assume I've caught a cold. Cue the frantic search for open windows or drafts and offers to crank up the heating. They struggle to comprehend that my sneezing has nothing to do with the room temperature.

As we see out the old year at my in-laws in Nagano, with overnight lows of -5c, and where a light dusting of snow on Christmas Eve meant we could just about call it a white Christmas, we huddle around the warm parts of the house. Everyone else is clad in warm clothing (to my own bewilderment, even down vests), while I stick to my trademark T-shirts. To be fair, though, I swapped my shorts for warmer legwear.

As expected, it's an almost daily ritual for my father-in-law to ask if I'm not cold in my "Hawaii attire." And every time I sneeze, he feels obligated to up the oil heater and inquire about my health…

In that spirit, I wish everyone a relaxing few days over the New Year's holidays and a happy and healthy 2025. And don't catch a cold!