Skills I've learned while living in Japan: Driving in the snow

I thought I would start a new blog series about some skills I've learned while living here. One thing that life in Japan has given me is a big ol' shove out of my comfort zone, and with that has meant a whole heap of things I can do now that I couldn't before.

Since it's been snowing this week it got me thinking of a key one for me, and that's driving in the snow. My home country only gets snow in a tiny handful of places (typically high up in mountainous areas) and nowhere I lived fell into that category. Here in Niigata though, snow is a part of life for about 4 months a year, so if you want to get anywhere you're either trudging through it, or driving. 

We're fortunate to have a network of sprinkler systems over many roads here, which do a fantastic job of making them easier to navigate. In saying that, certain roads are still heavily snowy, and the approach you have to take with driving is a lot different. 

When I first started driving on snowy roads it would make me super nervous, but these days it's just another element of everyday life in Japan.

I'd love it if some of you would join in sharing some of the skills you've acquired during your time here. I think it's a nice way to reflect on how much living abroad influences your personal growth!