How
Can You Enjoy Snow in Sapporo?
by Arisa Kawahara
My city, Sapporo, is very famous as
the city of snow. We have a lot of snow in the winter. Snow
has advantages and disadvantages, for example, we have a
snow festival in which is very traditional and famous for
Japanese people. It is one of the advantages of snow because
our city can make lots of money, thanks to tourists from
outside of Sapporo. Moreover, snow is very beautiful, and we
can experience different cultures from other areas in Japan
when visitors come. On the other hand, there are also
disadvantages. For instance, it is hard to walk outside when
a snowstorm comes. The cold wind hurts our cheeks, and
sometimes it is hard to drive and walk on roads covered with
snow or ice. In addition to the snow festival, we have a lot
of other activities with snow, for example, skiing,
snowboarding, making snowmen and snow houses, and having
snowball fights. On the way home and during the recesses of
elementary schools, students often have snowball fights at
large open places like playgrounds. Snowball fighting is one
of the cultural activities of Sapporo for children, and
which is fun for children in the winter. Before snowball fighting, you should
know the best ways to do it and strategies for succeeding.
First of all, you need to go to cold areas like my hometown
in order to get much snow. When I was an elementary school
student, I often had snowball fight at my school playground
and at a park near my house. There was sufficient snow to
play with. Because it is cold outside of the houses, you
have to wear warm clothes such as coats and hats. Gloves are
a very important thing to wear when having a snowball fight.
The material should be waterproof so that your fingers will
not get frozen. I recommend that you wear waterproof boots.
Don't wear low shoes like sneakers because you will slip and
the snow will get inside your shoes! The most important
thing is finding "enemies", who are your friends. You cannot
have a snowball fight by yourself! After you have prepared to fight,
you can go on to the next stage. There are several steps to
fighting. To begin with, go to a large open place with your
friends. As I said, I usually went to the playground at my
school. Also, there were a lot of places near my house.
Next, gather snow with your gloves. It is important to
prepare snowballs before starting to fight. I would always
be excited in this step because I could imagine how fun the
fighting would be! After making many snowballs, line them up
near you. Now, you need to decide whom you will hit with
your snowballs. Although there are a lot of enemies there,
you should choose only one because you have to throw the
snowballs accurately and effectively. Now, the most exciting
part for me, and of course for you, is coming! Throw
snowballs hard at your victim's body, arms or legs. You can
hear a sullen sound, which is made when snowballs hit
people, everywhere. Different colors of coats and jackets
will dance before your eyes. Don't hit faces. It is a
violation of this game, although people do not say that. It
is an unwritten rule. The other important thing is that
you must neither put stones nor icicles inside snowballs in
order to strengthen them. Because boys tended to do so,
sometimes arguments happened between boys and girls.
However, to tell you a secret, I also have used icicles
because the process of breaking them from the roofs was very
exciting. As they snap off, they sound like a xylophone! You
can also tap on them as if you were playing music. Besides,
the cross sections of icicles are patterned like a piece of
charcoal the sun shines through it beautifully. If you
decide to cheat and want to get icicles, you must be careful
because lots of snow could slip down from the roofs,
bringing you in a snowy grave. Furthermore, because icicles
are like swords; they can hurt you. When you are thirsty,
you can also drink water from the icicles. It'll be very
good. Finally, continue throwing snowballs
until you feel warm. Eventually, you will feel tired.
However, you have to keep throwing because your enemies do
not let you stop, that is to say, they aim at you whenever
you take a rest. Yes, the ultimate goal of snowball fighting
is becoming warm in the very cold winter in Sapporo. That's
why snowball fighting does not have winners and
losers! Although there are a lot of ways to
play with snow, snowball fighting is a very useful and safe
activity if you follow these rules. I used to feel satisfied
after snowball fighting even though it made me very tired.
Being tired was also good for sleeping. Children who live in
Sapporo cannot play outside when a snowstorm is coming.
However, we have many sunny days even in winter. At that
time, children cannot help but have a good time. Even though
you are adults, it does not matter. All you have to do is
play hard as if you were children! It can get rid of your
stress and you'll feel like a happy child!
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