日本語On 10th of January, students went on a trip organised by the university with the aim to experience living in a snow country with heavy snowfall.
The first activity was to take the ropeway to the Tengendai Kogen Ski Resort and experience mountain walking in traditional Japanese snowshoes called kanjiki. However ironically, due to heavy snow and a snowstorm on the mountain, the activity was cancelled. As explained by the tour guide, this was also an authentic part of the experience of living in a snow country. Instead of the walk, the guide introduced the mountains and talked about the changes there through the four seasons.
After lunch at the Yonezawa michi no eki, students experienced harvesting the local winter vegetable, yukina. This a a vegetable found only in Yonezawa. In the heavy snow, students listened to the farmers as they talked about the local crop and demonstrated how to harvest it. Students then all got the chance to try – from digging through the thick wall of snow, hauling up the large cabbages, to hacking through the many layers of the vegetable to reveal the precious small portion of yukina that is actually harvested and eaten. Through this experience, students came to understand the great efforts that farmers go through to bring this local crop to our tables.
From here, students then went to a local community centre where they learnt how to prepare pickled yukina, a local delicacy. Some students were cooking such a dish for the first time, but members of the community patiently taught them and guided them through the steps. Thanks to them, students were able to successfully make the dish and take their handmade pickles home. Before going back, students were treated to dishes that included yukina and other local crops, all made by the community members. Thanks to their hospitality, students were able to warm up from the inside out while heavy snow continued to fall outside.
