Lasting from November to April, winters in Tokamachi are long and harsh. As fields covered in heavy snow made it impossible to harvest crops, it was necessary to preserve food either by using snow, or by making preserved foods using salt or fermentation. Knowledge about food preservation was developed over hundreds of years, and this traditional wisdom was passed down generation to generation.

The same snow that prevented new crops from being grown and harvested also helped preserve foods prepared earlier in the year. Some vegetables were left to sleep in the snow to increase or keep their sweetness, while other wild vegetables and mushrooms were pickled in salt, or dried.

Vegetables such as radishes were preserved by keeping them in the snow and eaten by spring. Other foods, such as raw fish, were preserved in yukimuro or yukiana, a kind of ice house, where snow was used to keep things cold.

Deep snow and high mountains effectively cut Tokamachi off from other regions, making it necessary for Tokamachi to become independent, self-sufficient and self-sustaining. This difficulty led to Tokamachi developing unique and effective approaches to food preservation using things at hand, and also led to a food culture different from any other.

The abundant snowmelt water springing forth from the deep snow that covers Tokamachi every winter nurtures the vegetables and wild plants that are the delicious base for Tokamachi food culture.

The deep snow is a blessing that for hundreds of years has directly affected the development of a food culture distinct to Tokamachi. That culture continues even now. Visitors can experience the wisdom of food preservation when enjoying traditional dishes at izakaya and restaurants throughout Tokamachi. Or for even more intimate encounters with local cuisine, visitors can stay at traditional style Japanese inns like Setoguchi.

*Izakaya are a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and food.