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The Four Seasons of Shirikami Sanchi

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One of the world's largest virgin beech forests stretches across the border of Aomori and Akita prefectures in Japan.

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The beech trees come back to life in the spring.

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This virgin forest was formed nearly 800 years ago and has undergone countless cycles of regeneration and growth.

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The beech trees bloom just as if they're coming out of hibernation.

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An extraordinary canopy of green leaves develops all the way up to the mountaintop.

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It is said to make its way up the mountain at a rate of 10 meters a day.

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A vast volume of melted snow water heads down to the villages in the valleys.

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The people begin to prepare for rice planting.

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Offerings of red rice and herrings are placed at the gate where water flows into the paddies.

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It's to pray for a good harvest in the autumn.

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The summers here in the northern region are short.

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Heavy rain pours down on the forest, but about a third of the waterfall is blocked by leaves and doesn't reach the ground below.

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The large leaves act as cushions as rainwater slowly makes its way down the tree trunks.

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A saying goes among the villagers that the water stored in a beech tree is enough to cultivate one patch of rice paddy.

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A palette of gold colors decorates the forest in autumn.

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Beech trees retain their leaves longer than other broad-leaved trees.

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They stay until the first snowfall.

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Here it's winter in Shirikami-Sanchi.

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Why do beech trees dominate in the forest?

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The key to that can be found in the winter months.

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Other types of trees can endure the cold but can't stand the weight of the thick snow.

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Only beech trees with their strength and flexibility thrive.

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In February, when the temperature drops to its lowest, the villagers head for the waterfall at the foot of the mountain to celebrate the god of the mountains.

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Through this waterfall, the water of life flows into the fields of rice.