The story unfolds in a snow-covered hot spring(onsen) town in Japan. Shimamura is a dilettante who has a wealthy family background but feels his life is lonely and futile. Geisha Komako works hard to look after those around her, often putting their interests before her own. In the novel, the lives of Shimamura and Komako cross paths despite their stark difference. Three times over the span of three years, they get to share conversations to study each other in a world blanketed with snow that blurs the moral barometer of society and the lines defining their emotions and relationship.
revolves around the meeting between Shimamura and Komako in a calm manner without a noticeable incident. The novel has still received international acclaim, most likely because of the unrivaled aesthetic consciousness, as well as poetic and succinct narratives unique to Japanese literature. It is a short novel that could be read in 2-3 hours, but the author devoted 13 years, from 1935 when the serial publication began through 1948 when the story concluded, solely to completing this work, making sure he depicts Japanese aesthetics to the best of his ability. Kawabata’s sentences, constantly honed by the perfectionist author, come into their own in not just the description of the minds of characters, but also the depiction of nature. Thanks to his vivid, detailed expressions that deliver the photographic image of the beautiful landscapes, many people who read still travel to Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, to visit the world within the novel.
The name of the town is not mentioned in the novel. Nevertheless, Kawabata worked on part of the book while staying in Yuzawa and indeed met geisha Matsuei, who Kobako was modeled after. So the town of Yuzawa has the right to be called the background of the love story. Niigata Prefecture being the snow capital, the entire region is coated in white with thick snow from as early as November to March the following year. Considering that Shimamura sees Komako in autumn for the last time, now would be the perfect time to trace the fictional footsteps.

The shrine seems to have been deserted for a long time, surrounded by a soaring cedar grove and stone sculptures. The guardian lion statue covered in moss looks just the same as Kawabata’s description of it in the novel. A 400-year-old cedar tree that Komako may have leaned against creates a mystical ambience.

Address 901 Oaza-Yuzawa, Yuzawa Machi, Minamiuonuma Gun, Niigata Prefecture

If you are passionate about drinking, you should not miss out on a chance to visit Kikizake Bansho(sake tasting room), which does justice to its nickname ‘drink warehouse of Niigata’. As with every relationship, a glass of alcoholic beverage plays the role of catalyst quite effectively between Shimamura and Komako in . By purchasing store tokens at the entrance of Kikizake Bansho, a Ponshukan must-see place, you can taste any of the 129 beverage samples from a tasting machine that spans an entire wall of the store. The selection also includes plum wines, sojus, and regular wines. So enjoy a glass of clear drink that resembles the white snow of Niigata, and end your day trip on a fragrant note.

Address 2427-3 Oaza-Yuzawa, Yuzawa Machi, Minamiuonuma Gun, Niigata Prefecture