Snow days

As you may know, a major winter storm is expected to hit New York this weekend. Even NYC might see close to a foot of snow.

Whenever I hear news like this, I’m reminded of a winter back in 2014, when I was living in Queens. After one heavy snowfall, there was a huge pile of snow in front of the house where I lived. (I still have a photo from that day.)

I grew up in Osaka, Japan, where snow is rare. Even when it does snow, it’s usually closer to sleet and hardly accumulates. I only remember a handful of snowy mornings from my childhood—waking up, looking outside, and feeling like the world had quietly transformed overnight. Those days always felt special.

So when I moved to New York, I didn’t really have much experience with “real” snow. One winter day in Queens, I put on snow boots—something I almost never needed in Japan—and went outside. Most sidewalks had been shoveled, but in some spots the snow had turned into ice. In front of our house, there was one particularly slippery area. I slipped, fell, and hit my left knee pretty hard.

Interestingly, my roommates also slipped on that exact same spot—luckily they didn’t fall. When our host mom heard about it, she told us something that really stuck with me: if you get injured from falling in front of someone’s house, you could potentially sue the homeowner, because it’s their responsibility to keep the sidewalk safe for others.

That idea felt very “American” to me at the time. Coming from Japan, where personal responsibility and quietly enduring inconvenience are more common, the concept of legal responsibility in everyday situations felt like a cultural difference I hadn’t thought about before.

Thankfully, my knee wasn’t broken (I assume), but it hurt and bothered me for a couple of months. It became one of those small but vivid memories that stay with me.

Now, whenever I hear a winter storm alert, those days come back to me. Snow can be beautiful and magical, but it also asks us to slow down, prepare, and be careful.

If you’re in New York this weekend, please stay warm and safe 🤍