What we can learn from the people of Itoshiro

This year, snow is falling as usual, with nearly two metres of snow currently falling in Itoshiro.

Recently, the village was featured in national news as an "isolated" village after the prefectural road, which was the only road the village used for daily life, was closed, but in fact this kind of thing is not all that uncommon.

This time, the road was reopened within a day, and the stranded skiers were able to return home safely.

It seems that in the past, the people of Itoshiro village used to make a lot of pickles in the winter, and would secure food to last the winter before the snow fell, so they were not inconvenienced even when they were unable to travel daily.

We are already accustomed to a car-based society, so we can easily travel on neatly cleared roads to go shopping in winter, but just in case, we stockpile food in freezers and, following in the footsteps of our ancestors, make pickles every day.

It is at times like these that I feel the importance of learning from the wisdom of the past and my respect for the people who have lived here grows even greater.

No matter what happens, they survive resiliently and joyfully. This is the kind of strength I always learn from the people of Itoshiro in the harsh conditions of nature.

--
Photo: Kana Tanaka