(1) The Himekawa drainage area is one of the most heavy snow area in Japan with annual cover of 1.5-4.0m. This area is divided into two sub-areas, the northern and soutern parts, at Nakatsuchi, Otari Village by the depth of snow and the time of melting. In the southern part, the snow is very dry because the altitude is very high with very low temperature. The snow cover is the deepest in late February or early March and last to the middle of April. On the other hand, in the northern part, the snow is very wet because the altitude is very low with higher temperature than the south. And the snow cover is the deepest in late January or early February and it lasts to the early April, a month earlier than the south. For these reasons, the ways of removing snow on the roofs and of melting snow on the field and the kind of decorations for the New Year are different between two parts. Furthermore, the way and tools of snow treading to keep paths in the snow are different between two parts by the snow depth and topographic conditions.
(2) Agricultural land utilization of this Himekawa area is restricted very strongly by the continuous show cover duration which reaches 120 days per year. Therefore, people in this area keep watching
Yukigata (the shape of snow patches on the mountain high slopes) and common sayings which predict weather condition very valuably to make their original agricultural calendar by their traditions. Furthermore, they melt snow artificially to advance the season of seeding ricer and they contrive the way of seeding and cropping wheats which does not adapt to this area. From the viewpoints of the land utilization for forestry, the snow decrease the values of wood by bending trunks and breaking branches. On the other hand, the snow cover gives advantages for forestry such as preventing frost heaving, supplying water and preparing the roads to transport lumbers by sledding.
People use snow as insulation for storing vegetables and as fields for sledding and skiing. Ski industries have been growing quickly since the middle of 1960's by developing and improving ski grounds, facilities, and accomodations in this area and by increasing numbers of trains on Oito-Line, Eastern Japanese Railways. As a result, industries and structures of population in this area have greatly changed.
(3) It is recongnized that some cultures have been spread into this Kita-Azumi area from Toyama and Niigata prefectures. Technology of production such as Ecchu-Shibari (a way of bundling up harvested rice straws) and the way of making a charcoal kiln and life styles such as tree fences for wind breaking are spread from Toyama Prefecture. On the other hand, cultures for food such as
Sasa-Zushi and
Sasa-Dango (a kind of regional Sushi and dumpling wrapped by dwarf bamboo leaves) and
Iwashino-Tsukedome (a salted sardine for preserving), a way of building houses protecting heavy snow cover and some technology of manufacturing sleds and skies are spread from Niigata Prefecture.
Because of same natural environment of deep snow, the characterized local culture of this Kita-Azumi area was created by cultural interchange to Niigata Prefecture. Especially, in the settlements of Oami Todo and Yokokawa, Kita-Otari districts, Otari Village, which are located very close to the boundary to Niigata Prefecture, there are very strong effects of the Echigo (Niigata Prefecture) Culture.
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