In those days, it was still common in poor farming community to let members go out to town and work for reducing the mouths to feed (it had been called 'Kuchi-berashi'), and Mine was also sent to Okaya City in Shinshu to help her family.
当時はまだ貧しい農村部では、出稼ぎに出る事で食費を浮かし家計を助けるという「口べらし（口減らし）」が一般に行われており、みねも家庭の生活費を助けるために信州の岡谷市へ出稼ぎに出る事となった。