Snow Country

In Snow Country, Yasunari Kawabata displays the setting in the snowy cold mountains in the main coast island in Japan. Snow Country doesn't necessarily mean because there's a lot of snow, it's a place for health are not for "the season." It's mostly consisted with men, they may bring their wives, but they are not always with them. The men may have them with geishas for company. The hot springs need to have geishas to entertain guests and must be seen as creative and graceful instead looked down upon as a prostitute. The snow covered mountains seem cold and dark with the loud winds from the cold and the noise from the train. However, beyond the mountains contains the inn with more to expect besides the hot springs and the skiing.

When Shimamura enters the snow country, the winds of snow started to pour in as a girl named, Yoko opens a window to speak with the station master. Shimamura was struck by Yoko's voice as "it was such a beautiful voice that it struck one as sad." (Page 5) As Yoko sat down, he watched her from the glass of the window beside him without her knowing. The mountains pass by as the train moves through the blizzard and Shimamura gazes into the mountains imagining Yoko's face in them. As they get off the train, Shimamura doesn't recognize the feelings of the cold; the weather is different by the feel and touch, something that he's not familiar with since it's his first trip to the snow country. The weather gives off a vibe of change and difference. Shimamura has never been in love, yet he watches this woman on the train memorized by her voice and face. The inn's atmospheres suppose to be cold since it's on the west side of the mountain range in Japan. Its temeperatures have a different feeling similar to the feelings of Shimamura with love.

Shimamura encounters a woman, in which he assumes is a geisha. As he has no desire for the woman, he leaves to the post office and notices the mountains. He has always stared at the mountain since the train ride into snow country, even when he was staring at Yoko. As he returns, the geisha named Komako, thought he was not very nice to the girl, however, Komako reminds Shimamura that he tells the geisha how long she may stay. The mountains in the snow country changed Shimamura's point of view, as if he were changing without realizing it.

Komako and Shimamura's relationship grows as they stay together. Komako seems to have great affection toward Shimamura. As she meets him, she begins to open up more and more to him, because there's no one else she can talk to. Komako wasn't an official geisha, yet she does the duties as one to Shimamura. She is suppose to be home yet she stays with him; the days pass by, Komako stops trying to go home early. Shimamura begins to ask about Yukio, which Komako is supposed to marry. The time between Komako and Shimamura pass the relationship grows more.

The weather in snow country seems to be a lonely feeling in the air. Shimamura returns to Tokyo, leaving Komako. However when Shimamura returns, she doesn't seem so pleased. Komako has been longing for Shimamura to return, yet her hopes has been hurt and disappointment overrides her. She believes Shimamura tells Komako that he came to see her, but Komako thought differently. She lost trust in Shimamura, which shows she has developed some strong feelings for him.

Another aura in the snow country is the feeling of wondering. Shimamura and Komako run into Yoko at the cemetery. It was an awkward feeling because of the news of Yukio. Yoko seems to appear, but not much was ever said. Shimamura talks to Yoko more, about the samisen. He's very interested in how she learned to play, sing, and dance. Shimamura was very interested because he is into samisen and he finds it beautiful. Before, he was interested in the Japanese dance, until he lost interest when he was asked to learn it. Shimamura appears to love things without actually seeing it. It's like loving someone without knowing them.

The snow country sends off feelings of sadness and grief. It appears that Komako and Yoko are two different women in Shimamura's life at the hot springs. They have a relationship with him in a way, because Komako spends her nights with him and Yoko appears randomly into Shimamura. Komako has more affectin toward Shimamura by how she's always with him and their relationship seems to develop. Yoko seems to be another relationship in Shimamura's life. At the end of Snow Country, Yoko is caught in a burning warehouse where Komako comes to save her. While Komako rescues her, she thinks Yoko is insane. Shimamura is on the side, watching how the two women he's been with at the hot springs are in burning warehouse.

In conclusion, the snow country sends out the vibes with the view of the mountains and the temperatures feeling differently, and the feeling of loneliness. Especially for geishas, who are trapped in the hot springs by snow country's mountains and havingto entertain for a living. Shimamura, Komako, and Yoko have all came across the feeling of sadness in the novel, where they are alone yet run into each other in the snow country.