When I first arrived in Nagano it was the middle of winter and very cold. There was snow everywhere! It is my first time to live in such conditions so it was a real experience for me and so different to what I was used to.
I live in a place called Ojoji in the northern part of Nagano up in the hills. There are very narrow roads to get up here and I am sure that it snows here more than in the central city area. Driving a car was an interesting experience. If you are ever planning to drive in Nagano in winter you should know that they do not plough the roads and many roads are not treated with salt or other substances so you end up with very slippery roads. It isn't necessary to use chains all the time (I managed to not have to use them the whole winter).
Here are a few pictures of some of my memories of winter in Nagano...
Me shovelling snow in front of my house
The view from my bedroom window
A lion sculpture in the grounds of Zenkoji
The snow settling on the trees in my back garden