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233:. Strong winds over the nearby lake fling water droplets which freeze against the trees and their branches, until near-horizontal icicles begin to form. Falling snow settles on the ice formations, and the result is a grotesque figure of a tree. The effect of a full forest of such trees gives visitors a ghostly impression.
146:"Heavy Snowfall Zones" refers to places where snowfall and snow cover are severe enough to be a hindrance to the livelihood of inhabitants or the development of local industry. In all, more than half of Japan's land area carries the designation—ten complete prefectures and portions of fourteen others out of Japan's 47
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is so deep in some places that buildings have a special entrance on their second story; people must remove snow from their roofs to prevent its weight from crushing their homes, and special care is taken to protect trees from the snow's weight. In some towns, people used to tunnel paths to one
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another's homes, and streets were lined with covered sidewalks to ensure that people could get around. Today in areas where temperatures are high enough to make it practical, many roads are equipped with sprinklers using warm ground water to keep them passable by melting the snow.
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The heavy snowfalls of Japan's snow country are caused by moisture-laden clouds bumping up against the mountains along the backbone of Honshū and releasing their moisture under the influence of
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blowing off the continent or down from
Siberia. As a result, the region includes some of the world's snowiest spots at the same latitudes, many localities are also frequently visited by
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The most recent record snows were brought by the blizzards of
December 2005–February 2006, when well over 3 m (4.5 m in one part of
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Map showing Japan's “snow country”. Red indicates prefectures completely inside it; yellow, prefectures partially in it.
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and other special consideration from the central government to help them cope with the snow (such as for
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can refer to any place with heavy or deep snows and is generally understood as a reference to the
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107:, a series of mountain ranges that make up the island's backbone. In its broadest meaning,
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184:) of snow accumulated in many rural areas, and anywhere from 46 cm (
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135:, but it is most closely associated with part of Fukui and all of
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127:. More narrowly defined, it is used to indicate the area from
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Areas in Japan characterized by heavy, long-lasting snowfall
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One striking feature of Japan's snow country are the
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71:characterized by heavy, long-lasting snowfalls.
304:Electronic sign warns of avalanche danger near
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111:means the belt along the Sea of Japan from
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379:Japan's Snow Country Faces Test of Time
344:, a novel set in the Niigata Prefecture
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150:. Heavy snow areas are eligible for
292:(Niigata) city hall in January 2006
385:Culture - YUKIGUNI (Snow Country)
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21:Snow country (disambiguation)
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188:) to nearly 1.5 m (
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273:Kurobe Alpine Route (
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348:1998 Winter Olympics
63:, "heavy snow area")
19:For other uses, see
269:A snow wall on the
67:refers to areas in
406:Geography of Japan
387:(official website)
256:Niigata Prefecture
74:The rather poetic
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320:Snow monsters in
254:landscape in the
182:Aomori Prefecture
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401:Regions of Japan
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163:westerly winds
53:gōsetsu chitai
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341:Snow Country
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156:snow removal
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109:snow country
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97:Sea of Japan
76:snow country
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35:Snow country
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172:Frequently
148:prefectures
121:Sado Island
395:Categories
368:References
167:avalanches
335:Mount Zaō
322:Mount Zaō
308:, Niigata
290:Tōkamachi
216:Mount Zaō
152:subsidies
113:Yamaguchi
329:See also
271:Tateyama
252:yukiguni
125:Hokkaidō
99:side of
88:yukiguni
47:yukiguni
237:Gallery
228:Zaō-san
186:Tottori
141:Niigata
117:Shimane
411:Winter
357:Matagi
352:Nagano
306:Tsunan
275:Toyama
190:Aomori
137:Toyama
101:Honshū
209:Juhyō
129:Fukui
69:Japan
174:snow
139:and
123:and
60:豪雪地帯
222:蔵王山
214:on
131:to
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250:A
225:,
206:,
203:樹氷
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82:雪国
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41:雪国
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