When returning to Japan after our two-week holiday in Belgium, we got our first taste of winter in Japan. It has gotten cold (maximum 5° C at midday) and it even snows occasionally. But I was very surprised to see flowers blooming even in this weather.
While I normally associate autumn and winter with barren trees and the withering of nature, I have encountered blooming flowers in Japan all throughout autumn and now also during wintertime. How wonderful to see those specks of colour in an otherwise gray winterworld.
The Japans 
Lovely! When I lived in Nagoya, winter of 2005 brought one of the biggest snows to the area. Nothing like the winter snowstorms in Michigan, U.S.A., of course, but a lot of snow for Nagoya. 😉 I especially liked the look of the snow on the palm-type trees. It was a white Christmas that year, definitely. 🙂
I saw images on the news of the snow in 2005. They said that the large amount of snow that year was due the ‘La Niña’ phenomenon (which produces effects opposite to ‘El Niño’). And they proceeded to announce that this winter will also be a ‘La Niña’ winter, with severe cold and lots of snow. What an experience for my first winter without central heating. Thank god for kotatsu!