The book has as its subject a small town to the north of Tokyo, which because of a lack of communications and a relatively low standard of living had preserved much of the old folklore and customs which had been lost in other parts of Japan. The area attracted many photographers who wanted to record this slice of the nation's past.
在日本求學的時候，王信曾經看過一位日本攝影家出的書「雪國」，介紹東京北部一個小鎮，那裡因為交通不便，天氣寒冷，居民生活非常困苦，但相對的他們也保存了許多傳統的民俗。