Shimane University

Now that the winter snow has come, I have decided to take the opportunity to take some photographs of the University grounds, for those who might be interested in what a rural Japanese university looks like. Here we see the playing field and the bicycle park near the co-op building, at night. I took the photos in black and white because snow looks better that way. The playing field is a gravel field (no grass for the rugby players in this country, I am afraid) and the bicycle park has been ravaged by the strong wind which always seems to blow through Matsue when the snow falls. This is probably the last heavy snowfall for the year: today is setsubun, a festival for casting out evil spirits, and on setsubun it is said that it always snows in Matsue (which indeed it did!) After this winter will recede, and we can settle in to wait for the next milestone in Japan's seasonal calendar, hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, which comes in April.

More pictures of the University can be viewed here, at the Illustrated Chronicles.