Forget the image of a perpetually temperate Tokyo. Japan is a winter wonderland of epic proportions. From the powder hounds of Niseko to the snow-buried temples of Shirakawa-go, the Land of the Rising Sun is also, for four months of the year, the Land of the Falling Snow.
During winter, cold, dry winds blow from Siberia across the . As this frigid air travels over the relatively warm sea water, it sucks up enormous amounts of moisture. When that moisture-laden air hits the mountains on Japan’s west coast, it is forced upwards, cools rapidly, and dumps the moisture as intense, lake-effect snow .
Snow is rarely part of that postcard.
Stick to the Pacific coast in winter. Visit Tokyo, Kyoto (minimal risk), Hiroshima, or fly south to Fukuoka or Okinawa.