Sunny day

I like sunny days of Russian winter, though they are usually cold. Snowy days are nice, making everything around white and clean. But they lack sunlight and colour. Grey cloudy sky, grey buildings, bare trees, and snow looks greyish as well – you get bored and tired of it. And when the sky clears at last, the sun shines bright and snow begins sparkling. Sky colour in winter is special as well, pure and tender. Especially in the evening, when it gets denser. If only the temperature didn’t drop below -20 C…

 

 

 

Nihonbare / Clear sky of Japan 「日本晴れ」

When I think about Japan, the first thing I remember is its beautiful clear sky. There is even a special word for it in Japanese: Nihonbare. It has such a deep blue colour, which is bright even in winter. And then there are clouds, moving very fast. Thin and transparent, just like steam. When an airplane approaches Japan, you can see these clouds from above, running fast over the ocean. It makes me feel happy each time. It’s like expectation of more happiness in near future… 

Sometimes the sky in my city reminds me of Japanese sky, especially in winter. Of course it’s not so bright (here in Russia the sky gets somewhat pale in winter). But it’s also very clear on sunny days. Looking at it, I feel closer to Japan and beleive that I’ll sure see it again…

 

日本を思い出すとき、初めのはそのきれいで 晴れた空を想像します。日本語でもそれに特別の言葉で、「日本晴れ」という言葉です。　濃い青くて、冬でもとても明るいです。それで、雲は高速で通って行きます。湯気みたい薄くて透明です。飛行機で日本列島に近づくとき、上からその雲が速く海を渡って走っているが見えます。　その風景をみたら、毎回うれしいです. もうすぐもっと幸せが待っている感じです。。。

住んでいる町の空も時々日本晴れに似ています。とくに冬の空です。冬にロシアの空はなんとか淡くなって、実はそんなに濃い色ではありません。でも晴れた子に日に同じ清くて明るいです。　それを見つめて、日本が近いのように感じです。ぜひまた見ると信じています。。。