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Snow protection and community
Local villagers surround a thatch-roofed house with reed to protect it from the harsh winter ahead 99.11.15/ Temperature: 5C/ Weather: Cloudy, Rain / Wind Direction: W
Start: Tamugimata, Asahi Village Latitude: 39 33 28N / Longitude: 139 56 34 E
Destination: Shizu, Nishikawa Mach /Latitude: 38 29 31 N /Longitude: 140 00 04 E
Distance Traveled:26 kmGrowing up in the US, my idea of community was borrowing the lawn mower or a carton of milk from the Gilmore's next door. Having lived in Tokyo for the past few years, even this type of community is hard to come by. Yesterday during my visit to Tamugimata I witnessed locals preparing a traditional thatch-roofed house for the winter, and discovered a community spirit which has yet to fade from Japan's countryside.
The house, which is still lived in, has been designated a national treasure. On this occasion, at least one person from each household in the village gathered to protect the house from the deep winter snow.
From a distance one could see several locals busy at work surrounding the large thatch-roofed house. The thatch itself looked to be close to a meter thick. Each reed lined up and stacked together delicately. Eaves slanting slightly upward, the roof looks like a samurai helmet. Just below the edge of the roof, locals bundled reed and attached it to a frame built alongside the house. The thin layer of reed will insulate and protect the house from the four meters of deep snow, which is soon to fall.
I was told that the maintenance of thatch-roof houses has created community in the mountain village as well as been a way to pass down building skills. "Thatch houses need to be maintained and repaired frequently. It also requires many people to complete the work, so in the old days maintaining and repairing thatch-roofed houses called for wide support from the community. Working on the roofs created a sense of cooperation and interdependence in the village and also passed on skills to younger generations," said one gentleman.
The water of a beautiful waterfall spreads like fingers over the rocks. Many people speak of the smallness of country villages. There is no doubt about this; there are approximately 30 households in this village. However, in this smallness is a very supportive network that has supported the villagers here and made living in such a harsh environment possible.
What kind of community activities are there where all of you live? Do you have any hints for creating community in the city?
Leaving Tamugimata, I treked into the deep buna beech forest of Yamagata. Mt. Gassan and Mt. Yudonosan, two spiritual mountains of this region watched over me as I made my way over a mountain pass moving further inland. Snow is on the forecast!
Greg
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