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AINOKURA
Ainokura is a village of only 24 traditionally made houses located in Gokayama District in Toyama Prefecture. The village is surrounded by series of mountains almost 2,000 meters high, and is located in steep topography along Shogawa River; thus the place is known as heavy snowfall area, amounting to 3-4 meters in winter.
I had encountered this border district of mountain village by chance, and I was gradually absorbed in its beautiful landscape and behaviors of dear people living in the district. Everything they have done to live on in this severe nature turned out to create people's minds and bodies, and consequently to form the culture of the land. It has been succeeded up to now. It seems to me that they showed me their ways of living.
On the other hand, Ainokura must now accept various changes as the time flows by. In these contradictions, I decided to observe, record and remember the mind (culture) of the land from the inside.
