I haven't watched anime in ages but this caught my eye so much. Its actually a small part of a series that shows classical Japanese fairy tales, with the exception of this one, which was an entirely new story the developers wrote. Its a horror story with ... a colorful palette. At first, I was weirded out, but I thought it was quite excellent after awhile!
Check it out, http://midnightreverie.livejournal.com/167475.html .
Oh, yeah, I found this a little bit ago. It's on my list of things to watch.
But while we're on the topic of recommending pretty things, I suggest you read a manga called "Shirahime Syo" by CLAMP. It's one book of a collection of short stories that have to do with a harsh winter. CLAMP used different art techniques and pens for the book so it doesn't look all cutesy like most of their other work. Real nice stuff.
Hmm. Sounds interesting. If you are a fan of more genuine portrayals of ancient Japanese culture and art, you should check Bake Neko and also the spin off series based on this called Mononoke. PM for links.
I did not know Mononoke was the spin. Coincidentally also on my list of things to watch.