YUKIGATA; YUKI is snow and GATA is shape or figure.
When the snow that covered the mountain surface begins to melt, the contrast between the white of the snow and the blue-black on the mountain surface creates a unique pattern. They can also look like people, animals, or agricultural tools. In the old days when there were no weather forecasts, changes in the shape served as a good guide for farming.
I went to see the “Seed-Sowing Grandpa” that appears on Mt. JIIGATAKE (OMACHI City) again this year.
I’ve been coming to see him since around 2022, but I didn’t actually know there were two “Seed-Sowing Grandpas.” The big YUKIGATA on the left is the “Southern” Seed-Sowing Grandpa. And the smaller one to just its right is the “Northern” Grandpa, that I was unaware of.
This spring was warm, so the snow melted quickly, and it seems the “Northern Grandpa” also came out to do some farm work.
After checking, it turns out I met “Northern Grandpa” in 2024 as well ^^;
