“A snowy morning at Uyeno,” Tokyo, c. 1920. An umbrella-toting visitor (lower right) enjoys the serenity of the winter snow of Ueno Park.

“Snow’s falling!
I see it through a hole
in the shutter.

“Again and again
I ask how high
the snow is.

“All I can think of
is being sick in bed
and snowbound.

“Open the shutter!
I’ll just have a look
at Ueno’s snow!”

– “Snow When I Was Sick”, Masaoka Shiki, 1896