JAPAN'S WINTER WEATHER EXPOSED

摘要

Japan's made global headlines last winter when a series of powerful snowstorms buried the country's west coast, derailing trains, delaying airplanes, and adding an element of chaos to the nation's normally well-ordered infrastructure. Although Japan is not a country that is typically associated with heavy snowfall, the mountainous nation receives huge volumes of the stuff every year. And while Japan's snowbelt is generally well-equipped to cope with the annual winter storms, even seasoned snow-dwellers were caught off-guard by the onslaught of heavy storms that battered the nation last winter. By the time the last major storm passed in February 2006, the heavy snows had caused more than 100 deaths and tested the preparedness of local residents.