NHK - Japanology Plus Snow Removal (2018)

Japanology Plus Snow Removal

Here's a fact that may surprise Japan travelers who have only visited Tokyo for months during winter, a large portion of the country is blanketed in snow. While Japan's capital city experiences relatively mild winters, about 20 million Japanese—some 15% of the population—live in regions that regularly get hit by heavy snowfall. On this edition of Japanology Plus, we learn how population centers like Sapporo deal with all that white stuff, and the challenges that lie ahead for Japan's snowiest regions.

Our program takes us to the prefectures of Hokkaido, where Peter Barakan meets expert guest Natsuo Numano, Aomori, where snowplough operators drive in perfect synchronization to quickly clean airport runways, and Niigata, where Matt Alt learns how to safely and effectively remove heavy snow from rooftops.

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