🌼 Beginning of Spring: Why Not Look for Spring Nearby? — Finding a Small Light Unique to 2026 Amidst the Strongest Cold Wave

Late January 2026. Looking out the window, a gray sky and a frozen landscape stretch out before me. The term "strongest cold wave" has been dominating the news day after day, and we continue to spend our days hunching our shoulders against the biting wind.

Record-breaking snow with over a meter of accumulation in Sapporo, and sub-zero mornings hitting Noto and the Hokuriku region. We are currently thrown right into the "heart of winter."

However, try glancing at the calendar for a moment. The words "February 4th: Beginning of Spring" are written there quietly, yet with a certain resolve.

"It's so cold, is spring really coming?"
"It's a hassle just to go outside, I don't have the energy to look for spring."

I can almost hear those voices. But in reality, the natural world is tougher and more impatient than we imagine. Toward the moment when the calendar shifts to spring, it is steadily sounding the "notes of beginning" under the snow, beyond the ice, and in the valleys between inorganic buildings.

Truly, "The East Wind Melts the Ice"

As the first micro-season of the beginning of spring indicates, the spring east wind begins to blow, and even the thick ice begins to loosen little by little—we are standing at such a turning point of the seasons. Beneath the thick veil of severe cold, living things are already breathing deeply, waiting for their turn.

This time, I will introduce how to find the "invitations to spring" hidden in various landscapes such as mountains, the sea, and urban areas.

On your commute or walk tomorrow, the air brushing against your nose should feel just a little bit different.

To ensure this special winter of 2026 doesn't end with just "it was cold." Won't you come with me to look for the footsteps of the beginning of spring?

1. Life that has begun to "breathe" under the snow

The winter of 2026, where a silver world stretches as far as the eye can see. For those living in mountainous areas or regions with heavy snow, the word "spring" might even feel unrealistic. However, in such a harsh landscape, the trees are by no means sleeping.

If there is a large tree nearby, try observing its "base" closely. Sometimes, only around the trunk, the snow has melted in a circle like a donut, and the black soil is peeking out.

This is a phenomenon called "ne-aki" (root opening). The tree feels spring and begins to become active, melting the surrounding snow with the heat of the trunk warmed by the sunlight.

Seeing them push the snow aside, one cannot help but feel the silent struggle of plants that continue to maintain their core even under difficult circumstances.

Also, under the snow, "butterbur sprouts" are gradually swelling their incredibly vivid pale green buds.

By the time the second micro-season of the beginning of spring, "The Bush Warbler Begins to Sing" (around February 9th), arrives, the first songs of the bush warbler will likely be heard in the mountain villages. Even in the deep, snowy forests, the birds that herald spring are definitely preparing to wake up.

This weekend, try peeking at the "base of the largest tree" in your local park or forest. If the snow has melted only there, it is proof that the tree is taking a deep breath, saying, "Spring is coming soon."

2. "Messages of light" reflected on the water's surface

The water's edge tells us of "changes in light" faster than anywhere else. Even though the temperature is at its lowest point of the year, when you suddenly look at the water's surface, don't you ever feel, "Huh, it's somehow dazzling"?

In the northern country of Russia, this phenomenon is called the "light of spring." The sun's altitude is steadily rising, and the particles of light reflecting off the water surface are beginning to turn into a somewhat rounded golden hue.

As indicated by the final micro-season of the beginning of spring, "Fish emerge from the ice" (around February 14th), fish that sense the arrival of spring begin to appear from between the cracked ice—that season is just around the corner.

Also, please try to listen carefully to the rivers and ponds during this time. The sound of "thin ice" (usurai) as it loosens in the daytime sun and flows away with a crisp cracking sound. It is the first voice of spring breaking the silence of winter.

It is truly the "East wind thawing the ice"—the sound of the spring wind blowing from the east, gradually melting the thick ice, is heard earliest at the water's edge.

If there is a waterfront on your commute, try taking off your earphones just once while you walk. The sound of the ice loosening and the voices of birds preparing to return home should be heard as the whispers of spring.

3. The "Color Invitation" hidden in the cracks of concrete

Even in the urban landscape, there are plenty of "signs of spring" that someone has intentionally prepared.

First, I would like you to be conscious of the evening scenery. The angle of the sun has changed, and the shadows of the buildings have become softer and longer than before.

During the few seconds you wait for a traffic light, lift your face from your smartphone and try looking at the orange light shining through the gaps between the buildings.

Also, the vivid yellow of the mimosa lined up in flower shops and the scent of plum blossoms drifting from somewhere—"The subtle fragrance floats and moves"—brings a small joy to our closed hearts.

Even in the city, the beginning of spring has certainly arrived. If you look closely at the tips of the branches of the street trees, the winter buds that were tightly closed are beginning to swell just a little.

If you sit on a park bench and look up at the sky, you might feel a "blueness" different from winter. That is the color of spring carried by the east wind.

Tomorrow, on your way to the station, try taking just one photo of a "shop window" or the "tip of a street tree." When you find a small "color," your own beginning of spring starts.

4. Conclusion: The harsher the winter, the louder the sound of spring

In 2026, we learned the "true severity of winter." There may have been days when it was difficult to believe in spring because of the extreme cold.

However, spring never arrives suddenly one day. In the mountains, by the water, and in the shadows of city buildings, nature has been steadily preparing for "February 4th" step by step.

As the seventy-two micro-seasons of the beginning of spring teach us—the east wind melts the ice, the bush warblers sing, and the fish appear on the ice—spring comes to us quietly, but surely, in stages.

The joy of spring that comes after enduring severe cold will be deeper than anything in previous years.

After finishing this article, first try opening your front door and taking one deep breath. If you can feel the hint of the east wind mixed ever so slightly into the cold air passing your nose, you are already okay.

The beginning of spring in 2026. It is the start of a day that feels like a proud medal, proving that we survived the harsh winter together. Loosen your scarf just a little. Why not take a step forward to find your own "spring nearby"? (Fuuta Chisato)

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