The snow starts to fall from the end of September, and we stay deep in snow through the following year in February. The snow gradually starts to melt by March or April, clearing the way for the blooming of spring flowers, and by May the snow will eventually disappear and signs of summer will peek through. Generally speaking, I spend about eight months a year looking at snow, with six of those months completely buried beneath it. People who live in these circumstances have a very simple list of priorities- building strong houses and managing the snow. It's hard to explain how much money and effort you spend on this endeavour. They have to harvest wheat, rice, millet and beans from the beginning of summer to the end of autumn, which means that there may even be times when they harvest rice crops under the snow. I am sure that farmers used to warmer climate cannot begin to imagine such a grueling task.
Despite all of that, people who are born and raised in the Snow Country don't even think of snow as something worth noting, much like how insects that eat knotweeds don't notice their spiciness. It’s simply a part of our normal routine. Seven out of ten natives stay in the snow country their whole lives. Some people think they can’t handle it anymore and venture out into the cities of the warmer areas. They might enjoy city life for a while, but eventually they return to the Snow Country. It’s in our nature to crave our homeland, just as the southern bird eventually returns to nest in the South.
When it snows, we hang a bamboo screen called a “Yukidare” in the hallway or on the windows. This is to prevent snow storms from blowing into the home. When snow falls heavily, the snow piles up around and the house becomes engulfed in snow. When this happens there is no light in the house, no difference between night and day. When you dig out the snow and open a small window to let the light in, you feel as if you have entered the land of the Buddha, brilliant and pure. There are also many other hardships in the snow, but let’s leave at that. Birds and other animals know food is scarce during those periods, and migrate to regions where the snow is thinner. Not all of them do this, though. The only ones who dare brave the snow are humans and bears.