The Shinano River is the longest river in Japan. It originates in Kobushingatake and flows through Nagano and Niigata prefectures to the Sea of Japan. It is called the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture and the Shinano River in Niigata Prefecture. The Shinano River is a road that carries people and goods, and its water has been used for power generation, water supply, irrigation, and industry. In addition, the rich flow of the river has nurtured many lives and has blessed people. The Shinano River is the mother’s great river.

A year in a snowy country is divided into a snowy season and a snowless summer. The snow season lasts for half a year from December to April and people literally live in the snow. We will endure the snow and use it to prepare for food, clothing and shelter for the next summer. In the summer, the land is cultivated to produce crops and to secure a living, but preparations for the snowy season will begin as soon as the Bon Festival passes.
The lifestyle of a snowy country has been nurtured by repeating this different lifestyle in the snow season and summer, which is based on snow. The patience of Echigo people, which was already known in the Edo period, may also be the temperament cultivated by repeating these two worlds.