2012-03-26, 01:30 AM
Yeah, I was really heartbroken to hear that Sendai got hit - it's my favorite city in Japan. I've been hiking a few times in Fukushima as well (and one snow festival)...
Gunma actually borders Fukushima to the southwest. They have plenty of snow there, too - I lived not far from the region made famous by Kawabata's "Snow Country". 4-meter drifts in some areas up in the mountains. It's like driving in a pac-man maze! I found Hokkaido to be colder, but with somewhat less precipitation. The Japan sea coast gets pummeled with snow, but it only ever gets a couple degrees below freezing, so the snow melts pretty quickly between dumps.
Haha, the bathing macaques are definitely worth a trip to see if you're ever in northern Nagano. Jigoku-dani Koen is the most famous by far. Very touristy but at the same time completely worth it. There is even a nearby public outdoor onsen that is open to monkeys and people - which I did - but it's pretty filthy because monkeys are, well, filthy. Great experience for the story, anyway.
Gunma actually borders Fukushima to the southwest. They have plenty of snow there, too - I lived not far from the region made famous by Kawabata's "Snow Country". 4-meter drifts in some areas up in the mountains. It's like driving in a pac-man maze! I found Hokkaido to be colder, but with somewhat less precipitation. The Japan sea coast gets pummeled with snow, but it only ever gets a couple degrees below freezing, so the snow melts pretty quickly between dumps.
Haha, the bathing macaques are definitely worth a trip to see if you're ever in northern Nagano. Jigoku-dani Koen is the most famous by far. Very touristy but at the same time completely worth it. There is even a nearby public outdoor onsen that is open to monkeys and people - which I did - but it's pretty filthy because monkeys are, well, filthy. Great experience for the story, anyway.