Why have people continued to live in such a snow ridden area? After asking locals what their answer to this question was, we began to see a commonality between them all.
For example, the fact that the mountain vegetables here are, without a doubt, delicious. One elderly resident commented that thanks to the soft blanket of snow that falls in the winter, the vegetables in the spring are even more delicious. And it’s not just the mountain vegetables, but the other vegetables and rice all bear the fruits of this “winter blanket.”
Others commented on the sensation that gets when laying eyes on the first buds of spring after a cold winter. We first arrived in the Snow Country right as winter was ending, but the people were all overflowing with excitement.
Neither of these reflections are particularly surprising. However, while one person was imagining the image of budding beech trees on the mountain edge, another was imagining sprouts springing up from the dried up land. Despite the fact that they were all saying the same thing, the images that came to their mind was different.
As you continue your journey, you may come to know the people of Snow Country on a deeper level. However, Bokushi Suzuki, the author of Hokuetsu Seppu, describes why he likes Snow Country in the following sections.
“Because you can use a Sleigh. Because you can make sturdy cloth. Snow Huts. The fact that all the stages for plays can be made from snow. Because you can make anything you need for a food stand with snow. Because birds and beasts are easily caught. Because a house buried in the snow is actually protected from the cold. Even in the summer, if you put your meat in the snow in the mountains, it won’t go bad. Because the ground grows fertile.”
And he connects it all with this.
“There are plenty of other great places out there. Looking at it from this perspective, you could say just about anyplace has good things about it.”
Surely there are good points that could be found about your home town as well. Even in the countryside, where it seems there is absolutely nothing, or in the city, where it seems everything is so noisy. Why don’t you take some time to reevaluate this for yourself?
ON THE TRIP Editorial Staff
Writer：Akihito Shiga, Mia Nohara
Translation：Autumn Smith, Jean Souki, Sara Scarf
Photography: Honma Hiroshi
Narration: Alwyn Hartman, Ryland Lee
Within this guide we have gathered the sounds of Snow Country; the sound of melting snow, the sound of a frog walking between fields, the sound of chewing pickled vegetables. Each section of the guide has different sounds embedded in the narration, but what do these sounds bring to mind?
In the last section of this guide, we would like for you to listen to a song called “Spring in the Snow Country.”
I entrusted the musician, Koji Itoyama, to create music using all of the sounds we have collected here with the image of “Spring in the Snow Country” in mind. A song to conclude our trip, or a song to feel nostalgic after you leave. We want you to experience what it is to listen to this song as well.
Koji Itoyama
Before I began composing this song, I was told that it was impossible to imagine the winter in Snow Country. For me, this unimaginable snow, really was just as I was told. Even when I looked it up on the internet, all that came to mind was a simple and carefree thought, “how beautiful.”
However, after listening to the narration and the sounds of the food, I started to get a clearer picture of the life in Snow Country. After mulling and ruminating on these aspects of the area that, I was finally able to produce this song.
The song I was able to create was not just inspired by the images I found through an internet search, it is filled with the signs of spring after a long winter. It is a “documentary,” about the way of life here. I have incorporated sounds of the local area throughout the song, so listen closely as see what you notice.
※This guide has been created based on documents and other materials, but also includes our own interpretations at ON THE TRIP. An expert may give you a different opinion, so please discover your own version of the truth on this journey.