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Strategies for Living in the Deep Snow Country (2)
In an area where snow accumulation is 3 meters or more, there is always the problem of where to put the snow after shoveling. The Hida area utilizes several methods, one being using water to melt the snow.
The Hida area has historically had very heavy snow to a point where some homes started to install doorways on the second floor so they can enter and exit the house.
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Strategies for Living in the Deep Snow Country (1)
The western coast of Japan is one of the few areas in the world that receive very heavy snowfall. The cold dry air from Siberia picks up moisture from the Sea of Japan and as this air hits the Japanese Alps, it dumps snow and moisture onto the land underneath. This designated “snow country” area includes the Hida region, where the average annual snow fall is said to be 5 to 8 meters.
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The Natural Air Conditioner
When one walks in Hida Furukawa, he/she will notice water channels running along inside the town. Water has always been an abundant resource here thanks to the heavy snowfall in the winter. One of the advantages of the abundant water can be seen in the summer time when local residents use a large ladle, or what the Japanese call “Hishaku” to splash water from the water channels to the roads. This practice is called “mizu-uchi” and has been a common practice in Japan for hundreds of years.
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How to Find a Sake Brewery
When traveling in the countryside in Japan, it is often difficult to find shops because shop signs (both in Japanese and in other languages) may not be readily available. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how one looks at the situation, the countryside was never designed for tourists. However, sake breweries and sake shops are probably the easiest to find thanks to the existence of the “sugidama”.
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Ancient Tools Used by the Master Builders (1)
Traditionally known as one of the “Three Sacred Treasures” (the other two being the “sumi-tsubo” and “sashi-gane”) for the Japanese woodwork builders, the Chouna is a unique tool used since ancient times. Also known as the “living fossil tool”, the Chouna has been found in various archeological sites in Japan.
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Compromised Toilet
Although Japan is known for its high-tech super-toilets, for those Westerners wishing to live or stay for a prolonged period in the Japanese countryside, it’s good to be warned that western style flushing toilets are still a luxury and not very common in the countryside homes.
