Japanese Traditions. Setsu Broderick

      February was the coldest month and we had many snowy days.

      Our school was very old and the classrooms were drafty and cold in the winter. We warmed our hands at the big charcoal brazier in the classroom but, as soon as it was time for recess, we rushed outside for snowball fights. When we came home after school, we crawled under the kotatsu, a heated table with a quilt to cover your lap. At the kotatsu we did homework, read books, played games, and took naps. Also, the whole family sat together and ate meals there. In those days, the kotatsu and charcoal brazier were the only sources of heat in the house.

      At bedtime, my mother put hot water bottles in everyone’s beds to keep us warm through the night. The coldest thing, though, was the portable water sprinkling can for washing hands that hung outside of the bathroom window. There was nothing as cold as this water, especially on a snowy day! Still, we always wished for a lot of snow to make a big snowman or a snow rabbit.