For Today’s Japan Photo, we take another look at the heavy snowfall that is covering Japan in blankets of thick snow.

Many firemen and members of the self-defence force have been deployed to help residents who might have been trapped in their houses under snow just like what we see above.

Image Credit: MSN Sankei

It seems like many different regions in the world have been affected by the extreme cold weather. So have you been caught in the heavy snow too?

Two days ago, we heard news that the Snow Miku sculpture exhibited at the Sapporo Snow Festival had collapsed and injured a passerby.

For those that are worrying whether Snow Miku will be “revived”, Crypton Future Media President Hiroyuki Itoh has announced via the PiaPro Blog that the snow sculpture is being rebuilt and will be completed before this Saturday (11 Feb 2012).

For Today’s Japan Photo, we visit the annual Asahikawa Winter Festival in Hokkaido to see this awesome snow statue of Optimus Prime from Transfomers. The snow sculpture is 20 meters tall and is a collaboration with TakaraTomy.

For Today’s Japan Photo, we attend an special promotional event for the Oricon Valentine Festa 2012, which featured “Kyary Pamyu Pamyu” (left) together with actress Yoshitaka Yoriko.

Kinda makes me wonder – would you ask Kyary Pamyu Pamyu out as your date for Valentine’s Day?

For those that are unfamiliar with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ), she is a model, blogger, and recording artist from the Harajuku district of Tokyo. In July 2011 she began a music career by releasing her first single, “PonPonPon”. The music video, a psychedelic tribute to Kawaisa and Decora culture, was released to YouTube and became a viral hit.

Snow Miku is one of the mascot for the ongoing Sapporo Snow Festival but things didn’t go so well for her because one of the Snow Miku sculpture that was being exhibited broke into pieces this afternoon. One of the pieces that broke also injured an old lady nearby and she had to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

The authorities are attributing the incident to the change in weather conditions, suggesting that it might have gotten too warm in the afternoon so that the structure wasn’t stable enough. Poor Snow Miku-san (´・ω・｀)

Source: オタク.com｜オタコム and はちま起稿

For Today’s Japan Photo, we take a look at this gorgeous and brightly colored manhole cover that is found in the Takamatsu City of Kagawa Prefecture.

The image depicts the heroics of Nasu no Yoichi, a samurai that found bravely alongside the Minamoto clan at the Battle of Yashima in 1184. The enemy Taira placed a fan atop the mast of one of their ships, claiming it protected the ship from arrows, and daring the Minamoto warriors to shoot it off. Sitting atop his mount in the waves, his target atop the ship rocking as well, Nasu managed to shoot the target fan down with just a single shot.

For Today’s Japan Photo, we are going to take about an interesting way to drink sake – using squid bottles called “Ika Tokkuri (イカ徳利)”.

“Ika tokkuri,” sake bottles made of dried squid, are seen being hung to dry at a traditional liquor manufacturer in Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, in this recent photo. The “bottle”-making process begins with cleaning out the cuttlefish’s internal organs, followed by air-stuffing of the skin to form a round shape. The squid are then left to dry before they are shaped into their final form. The bottles are said to make the flavor of sake milder. (Mainichi)

Source: Mainichi Japan Photo Journal

Sanrio is launching a very special one day collaboration with restaurant chain Hooters on Valentine’s Day in Tokyo Japan.

The first 1000 customers that visit the restaurant will be able to get a limited edition Hello Kitty x Hooters Pin Badge. A rather weird collaboration since I thought that Hello Kitty didn’t meet the minimum criteria to work at Hooters XD

Source: Hooters Japan

Typically around this time of the year, the Japanese folks are celebrating Setsubun 節分, which is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan.

For Today’s Japan Photo, we will taking a look at the special bean throwing ritual. People try to catch good-luck beans thrown by apprentice geisha during the Setsubun Festival at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto and it is rather special this year because it is done in the freezing snow because Japan is facing heavy snowfall for the past week.

Image Credit: MSN Sankei

The latest episode of Softbank White Family commercial has a special guest model Reina Triendl joining them for a homestay program.

At first the family thinks that she comes from Hawaii in the USA, but she is actually from Hawai, Tottori Prefecture and speaks using “gal language”. I’m quite curious as to what does “てへぺろ” mean though.