BUT....all complaining about having to wear ear muffs around the house ASIDE...

Sometimes we really get lucky and get doused with beauty...

The other day we went up into the mountains and ate at this soba restaurant. Afterwards we cleaned the old art museum you see here...

Ice Lion

I've returned from the Great White North (Sapporo, Hokkaido), fairly unfrostbitten. Believe it or not, I've been much colder here than I was at the Snow Festival. More photos to follow, but here's one from my keitai. In this area of the festival there were several large ice sculptures around a huge "tree" made of lights.
(and here's a photo tip - to get that super-cool starry effect with the lights, just engage in some heavy breathing on your lens first! ;O !)