Muristek
Curious snow creatures bathed by candlelight during the 'Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi' (Otaru Snow Light Path Festival). – Pictures by CK Lim
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OTARU (Hokkaido), Feb 12 – It’s fairy light or maybe gnome glow. Like in Bergen where the troll magic is strong, in the hills and in the woods. Where skogtrolls (forest trolls) play hide and seek.
But this isn’t Norway. This is Japan where tangling with a tengu, a spirit of the mountains and the forests, might be more apt.
As night falls, the 'Otaru Unga' (Otaru Canal) begins lighting up.Indeed, in Hokkaido, in Otaru, the magic lies in the snow that falls like a winter quilt in February. Certainly there is something magical lighting up the path of snow along the snow-laden Otaru Unga (Otaru Canal).
For it’s the Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi or Otaru Snow Light Path Festival this weekend (February 11-13). As we set off from the train station after half an hour on the railway from Sapporo, we follow the straight line that brings us to the canal, in the direction of the sea.
Along the way, we are greeted by the usual signs of a white winter: a snowman here, a trove of snowballs there. Then there are surprises, such as tiny snow creatures with crowns of... petals? (Perhaps a precursor to the new and peculiar X-Men hero, Captain Krakoa; his helmet is wreathed with fantastical ferns.)
Clearly this wouldn’t be your typical winter festival.
To better observe everything, we make our way to the Kitahama Bridge overlooking the canal. This is a bridge over beautiful waters, rather than troubled ones. The placid waters of the canal would wash any troubles away, we shouldn’t wonder.
Standing on the bridge (its sibling is the Asahi Bridge), we marvel at the troops of visitors walking along one side of the canal. On the other, there is a row of restored warehouses; during summer, some of these have open terraces where patrons enjoy a cup of tea.
Not in the heart of winter, though. Not when there are icicles dangling like stalactites from their frozen roofs. No folks sipping their hot coffee inside the cafés; instead we wave at the boats that pass beneath the bridge.
As they pass, the surface of the canal rippling gently, so too do streamers of glass buoys, each carrying a single candle. There is a sky reflected in the water; an ocean of stars.
The Otaru Canal in winter is a magnificent mystery, is anything you wish it to be. There are so many stories we can tell, so many we can learn, if we pay attention.
Selfie time by the banks of the Otaru Canal.Or we could simply take pictures. Most of the visitors are busy taking selfies, sharing jokes or simply walking in silence. They are taking it all in, as we are. Each of us after our own fashion.
There is no right or wrong way to experience a place or a season. It is enough that we do.
Magical lights in the winter darkness.As the night turns pitch black, very nearly, we look for light in the darkness. Even with heavy snowfall and the deep winter shadows, there are always little pockets of light to be found.
From simple tealight candles to ornate silhouettes of plants and animals, of stars and moons. The sharp profiles of human figures, from children at play to an old couple resting on a bench. Our favourite cartoons and comic characters, outlined in stark shadows, radiating from within.
As with our earlier discovery, we find more pressed flowers and dried leaves – remnants from autumn, perhaps – adorning all manner of snowy shapes and structures. There is no rhyme or reason here; no need to decipher their meaning.
They are simply beautiful and pleasing to look at. These days, that’s enough. More than enough really, if their very presence lifts our spirits. These are tiny treasures, little jewels of the long winter night.
It’s getting colder. If we weren’t feeling the chill earlier in the day whilst there was still daylight, however meagre, we are feeling it now that the sun has set. Time to get toasty or try to, as best we can.
Hot beverages, from mulled wine to coffee, are a must to ward off the chill.We make a beeline for a row of makeshift yatai (stalls), some operating out of vans. These offer a variety of steaming beverages, from mulled wine to hot chocolate. There’s something for everyone – kōhī, black as the night, or matcha, grassy green but appearing as dark as the coffee in this dim light – so long as it gets the job done warming us up.
As if that’s not enough we spot something that truly warms us, or our hearts anyway. Quite literally, there are hearts everywhere, as if in anticipation of Valentine’s Day on Monday. Hearts made from snow. Hearts drawn from sequences of candlelights.
A wintry Valentine’s for couples.Love is all around: Couples take turns to pose for pictures, for keepsakes and for memories. Their snow-flecked faces kissed by candle lustre, suffused with joy.
So this is how a winter’s walk in the cold can keep one warm, we think. By lighting up the dark and illuminating the hopes and dreams in our souls. We continue our stroll along the Otaru Canal, hand in hand, one step at a time, as the snow continues to fall and the candles continue to burn bright.
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