Chapter Fifty-One: The Realm of Snow

Passing through the long tunnel at the county border, one enters the snow country.

Although the setting of Yasunari Kawabata’s “Snow Country” is in Echigo-Yuzawa, upon crossing into Hokkaido, Ye Zhao couldn’t help but think of the famous opening line of the novel.

Accompanying Ye Zhao on this journey were Takeda Shun and Kamimura Yuki—one responsible for external communications, the other attending to daily affairs at his side. The group arrived at New Chitose Airport on the afternoon of December 5th. As they stood atop the aircraft stairs, even though they had dressed in advance with sweaters and jackets, bracing for Hokkaido’s weather, the instant the cold wind struck, Ye Zhao still couldn’t suppress a shiver. After leaving the terminal, they boarded a pre-booked silver Toyota sedan, and the driver started the engine, heading toward the Keio Plaza Hotel in Sapporo.

The country stretched long and narrow; put simply, Hokkaido corresponded to Linji, Fukuoka to Shanghai, and Okinawa to Guangdong. So when Tokyo was merely swept by chilly winds, Hokkaido was already deep in a world of ice and snow. Ye Zhao’s plan was straightforward: to replicate the publicity strategy for “Summer Colors,” once again leveraging the weather, starting from Hokkaido—the first region to be enveloped by winter—and, following the trail of the cold front southward, promote the song through local radio stations.

At first glance, this approach might seem “cheap,” but in practice, since there was no need to appear in person, and given Ye Zhao’s current achievements, any programs he joined would naturally be during prime time, which actually helped preserve his air of distinction.

Hokkaido had always been the toughest market for artists to break into. Though this land had produced superstars like Miyuki Nakajima, Miwa Yoshida, Maki Ohguro, and GLAY, perhaps due to the frigid climate, nothing ever truly went viral here. Take the country’s five great domes—Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo—when singers toured, tickets for the first four were always sold out, but in Sapporo, one careless move could lead to a “festival of empty seats.”

Arriving in Hokkaido, the must-visit was, of course, Hokkaido Broadcasting. Established in 1952, it was the first private radio station and the first private TV station in all of Hokkaido, its influence covering the entire region. After checking in at the hotel, Ye Zhao’s group headed to the headquarters of Hokkaido Broadcasting Corporation in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward.

They were received by Hamada Isamu, a producer at Hokkaido Broadcasting—a man of about fifty, short, plump, and with an affable demeanor. Upon meeting Ye Zhao, he greeted them warmly: “Ye Zhao-san, hello! Even here in Hokkaido, I’ve heard of your rising reputation.”

Considering Ye Zhao had only released two singles, one of which was a summer song unrelated to Hokkaido, it was already quite an achievement to have any name recognition here. Hearing Hamada Isamu say this, Ye Zhao replied promptly, “It’s truly an honor.”

“I heard from Mr. Takeda that you’d like to promote your new song on our station?” Hamada lit a cigarette. “Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but Hokkaido isn’t like the Tokyo area; the market here is small, and even with major investment in promotion, it’s hard to achieve the desired results.”

“As for that,” Ye Zhao replied, “since the new song is a winter piece, the promotional plan was decided during production to match the theme. Even if the market here is hard to crack, that won’t change.”

“A winter song?” Hamada was a bit surprised.

Ye Zhao took a portable CD player prepared in advance from Kamimura Yuki. “Mr. Hamada, perhaps you’d like to listen first? If you find it worthwhile, we can discuss further.”

Hamada took the CD player and put on the headphones. After listening, he removed them, his earlier hesitation vanished, and he extended a direct invitation: “Ye Zhao-san, would you be willing to appear on ‘Voice of Hokkaido’ tomorrow night?”

“Of course, no problem!” Ye Zhao agreed cheerfully.

...

That night in Sapporo, snow began to fall silently and thickly, so much that all flights at New Chitose Airport were grounded. Early the next morning, standing on the hotel balcony, the world outside was blanketed in white. With nothing pressing during the day, Takeda Shun invited Ye Zhao and Kamimura Yuki to his family’s old home in Shiroishi Ward, Sapporo. Takeda’s elderly parents prepared a hearty Hokkaido meal for the group. After a quick tour of Sapporo’s sights, at precisely 9:30 p.m. that evening, Ye Zhao arrived at the Hokkaido Broadcasting Center.

The studio was on the thirty-second floor, and through the wide glass window, the outline of Odori Park and the city’s scattered lights were visible. “Voice of Hokkaido” was the flagship program of Hokkaido Broadcasting, consistently topping the local ratings. The host, Ryo Nitta, was a household name in Hokkaido.

After briefly discussing the broadcast process and confirming the script, at exactly eleven o’clock, as the staff signaled the countdown, Ryo Nitta opened the microphone and addressed her listeners: “Hello, and welcome to tonight’s ‘Voice of Hokkaido.’ I am your host, Ryo Nitta. Last night, a heavy snowfall arrived, and waking up to the snow this morning was truly a joy. It feels like something’s missing in Hokkaido if it doesn’t snow, doesn’t it? But with slippery roads, please take care when traveling, everyone.”

“Tonight, besides myself, I’m joined by a special guest all the way from Tokyo—this year’s most talked-about newcomer in the music scene. That’s right, let us welcome Ye Zhao—” As she spoke, Ryo Nitta gave a vigorous round of applause.

“Thank you, Ms. Nitta. Good evening, listeners of Hokkaido, I am Ye Zhao.” Opening his microphone, Ye Zhao responded naturally.

...

“Next, we have a listener’s submission from pen name Marilyn. Ms. Nitta, good evening. If you had two days off, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“If I only had two days off, I might just sleep at home for both days,” Ryo Nitta joked.

Ye Zhao picked up the thread seamlessly: “Is that so? So Ms. Nitta is a true homebody?”

“Yes, since work is so busy, when I finally get a break, I just want to rest. But if we’re talking about dream destinations, there is one—Kyoto. I’d love to see the ancient architecture, visit the Golden Pavilion, and of course Kiyomizu Temple. Ye Zhao-san, you know the legend of the Kiyomizu stage?”

“You mean the saying that if you leap from the Kiyomizu stage and survive, your wish will come true?” Ye Zhao replied. “I suspect the saying exists because everyone who jumped didn’t survive.”

“Well, apparently two or three people did survive, though whether their wishes came true is another matter.” Ryo Nitta laughed. “By the way, Ye Zhao-san, is there anywhere you’d like to visit?”

“Well, since I’m already in the north, it would have to be Echigo-Yuzawa from ‘Snow Country.’ Though when I first read the novel, I mistakenly thought the village was in Hokkaido.”

“It’s an easy mistake if you’re not familiar with the north. Now, let’s move on to our next topic...”

Time passed gently. After another commercial break, as the program resumed, Ryo Nitta began a brief interview with Ye Zhao.

“We have an announcement for our listeners: Ye Zhao-san’s new track ‘WINTER, AGAIN’ was officially released yesterday. Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

“You already have a household-name summer song in this country; now, with this winter song, do you have any ambitions?”

“Ambitions?” Ye Zhao smiled. “That’s a heavy word. As you know, Ms. Nitta, pop music has evolved from being just entertainment to becoming deeply woven into people’s lives. More and more people use music to express themselves and ease their minds. As a singer, I hope to create all kinds of music, bringing greater resonance to listeners. Whether it’s summer songs or winter songs, they’re all part of my creative plan. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll write songs about cherry blossoms or Christmas, too.”

“I see! As expected of a true musician.” Ryo Nitta applauded. “Now, let’s listen together to Ye Zhao-san’s ‘WINTER, AGAIN’ and experience the emotion he wishes to convey.”

Hokkaido Broadcasting’s signal covered all seventeen regions of Hokkaido. At that moment, whether at home or driving on the road, with family, lovers, or alone, hundreds of thousands across Hokkaido were hearing “WINTER, AGAIN” together.

As a winter song, “WINTER, AGAIN” featured a beautiful melody and delicate lyrics, like a cup of warming coffee in Hokkaido’s cold weather. Only a band like GLAY, whose members were all born and raised in Hokkaido with deep affection for their homeland, could have written such a song. Yet this song—one that should have been written by a native—brought a resonance to Hokkaido listeners that far exceeded Ye Zhao’s expectations.

...

“Well done, both of you!” boomed a staff member’s hearty voice as the broadcast ended. Ryo Nitta switched off her mic, exhaled, stretched, and said to Ye Zhao, “Ye Zhao-san, thank you for your hard work.”

“No, Ms. Nitta, it’s you I should thank for your care tonight,” Ye Zhao responded.

“Oh, I hardly did anything. You had such a great sense for the rhythm of the show—it’s hard to believe this was your first time on radio,” Ryo Nitta praised. “By the way, could I get your autograph? To be honest, my niece on my mother’s side is a huge fan. If she could get your autograph, she’d be over the moon.”

“No problem! I’ll send her a signed CD!” Ye Zhao agreed readily, instructing Kamimura Yuki, “Kamimura, could you bring two new CDs from the lounge?”

Kamimura quickly returned with two copies of “WINTER, AGAIN” and a pen, handing them to Ye Zhao. Ye Zhao signed his name on the first CD and handed it to Ryo Nitta. “This one’s for you, Ms. Nitta. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Ryo Nitta accepted it with a smile. Ye Zhao then signed the second CD and asked, “What’s your niece’s name?”

“Her name is Miki, spelled M-I-K-I.”

Ye Zhao nodded and wrote “TO Miki-chan” in the upper right corner of the autograph.

...