Averaging 312 inches (26 feet) of snow a year, Aomori, Japan, is the snowiest city in the world, and Japan is the snowiest country in the world. The city gets so much snow because parts of the city are at least 5,000 feet up. Aomori is high in the Hakkoda Mountains, and like most mountainous areas, the winters can be extreme. The 300,000 people who live in Aomori have learned how to navigate the harsh winters in a variety of ways. Most homes have a special door on the second floor so that when the snow is too deep, residents can still find a way in and out. Residents also take care to clean snow off the trees to avoid damaging them, as well as brushing snow off roofs to prevent them from caving in under the pressure of wet snow. Some of the snowiest towns even have special tunnels and covered sidewalks to travel in the winter. In some cities, sprinklers are used to spread warm water over the roadways to melt snow and ice and provide safe driving conditions. The good news is that the majority of Aomori residents say they love the snow.
