Cold this morning—even though Setsubun passed (because of Setsubun?). Bitter wind; gloved hands over ears to the station. Fields near Kanpachi had faint snow =photo lower.
Downtown saw little accumulation, but temperatures plunged. The 5th hit -0.5°C at 4:26 a.m.—this winter's low, 3°C below normal.
Tokyo's official temperature is measured at the JMA in Otemachi—more precisely the Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory's outdoor plot. From Takebashi Palaceside, it's right before your eyes. "Tokyo temperature" = "Palaceside temperature"—convenient. (Not that it changes much for us.)
So I left early and walked from Wadakura Gate toward Hirakawa Gate to see if the moat had ice—but north wind rippled the water; no ice. Sidewalk puddles from yesterday's rain had frozen, whitening the path—hard walking. (´⌒｀)
Imperial Palace runners didn't care—skirting frozen puddles, they ran on lightly (top photo: toward Palaceside from Wake no Kiyomaro statue).
Real cold lies ahead. Flu is closing school classes—take care.