Part 2 picks up several months after Part 1 ends, in the autumn, when Shimamura makes his third and final visit to snow country. Back at the inn, he is reminded of his wife by all of the moths that have spun cocoons near lanterns since she reminded him that it was moth season before he left Tokyo. After passing by an elderly Russian lady peddling goods, he notices a senior geisha in the lobby. The innkeeper tells him that the geisha is retiring and leaving town. When he reunites with Komako, she tells him more: The geisha, Kikuyu, turned down a restaurant management job from her patron when a man she liked offered marriage. However, she was abandoned by the man in the end. Left without respectable work, she was forced to leave town in shame. Komako also informs Shimamura that Yukio and his mother both died while Shimamura was back in Tokyo. Without the patronage of the music teacher, Komako was compelled to sign a new contract with a local family that runs a convenience store, forcing her to live and work in the onsen town for the next four years.