Snowed in

Those cars don't look ready for an emergency.

Those cars don't look ready for an emergency.

They never are ready for anything.

That's what I was thinking, too. Not exactly ideal for a rapid response.

Pity the person who has to dig them out every day!

its hakkaido, shouldn't the police have 4x4s?

HA HA!

Hokkaido hasn't beeen evacuated for the winter? People are still there? Incredible!

If you look closer at the window you'll see there is a sign which says "Gone Skiing".

sunhawkJan. 18, 2012 - 08:19AM JST its hakkaido, shouldn't the police have 4x4s?

Good question. The one on the left may be an all-wheel drive of some sort, which are better than 4x4 in any case. You'd think they'd have nothing but Subarus with the odd Toyota 4Runner or Land Cruiser throw in.

Wanda: We have special batteries here for our cars and you don't need a Landcruiser all the time. The biggest problem would be in case of earthquakes for getting away since your car is covered in snow and it takes about 10 minutes to defrost. So far, we had record snowfall and record minus temperatures up here. No joy at all.

do people in Hokkaido cross country ski on the streets?? It looks inviting to me ;)

I do cross country on my street outside my house and go right into the forest.

A Subaru AWD is used by the Tokyo police on Hahajima, Ogasawara, 1,000 km south of Tokyo. Not exactly a snow-bound area, but handy for the rougher roads.

As I'm sure Foxie could tell you, heavy snow is when you can't see your car.

The police inside may well go out from time to time and scrape some snow off the windshields, not that it takes that long - I just clear a "porthole" to see the road and let the heater do the rest as I drive off.

Can't imagine all that many emergenices for the police in Niseko, except for traffic duty if the trafiic lights break down / fistfights at the local drinkholes. I'd hope the ambulance and fire engines are under cover though.

Anyway, if the windows were scraped - the impact of the photo would be lost.

Tip: Always carry chains regardless whether you have studless tyres. And a shovel or 2. At least in places with heavy snowfall.

Gaijin: Help Police! I been mugged by a snowman!

Police: ahh..I wish I could help you but I'm kinda stuck right now maybe later?

Gaijin: 8I

Foxie, what is in the forest?

I hate snow. I'd rather be in Hawaii, not Hokkaido.

And where are the cops? Inside drinking hot cocoa.

Isn't that dust? That looks like dust. I think that's dust.

So far, we had record snowfall and record minus temperatures up here. No joy at all.

It is a total joy if you ski like me! take advantage! 雪国　represent!!

And while you all claim the J-cops do nothing around you, now you know the extent of what they do up here; shovel snow.

@Maitake, trust me when it is -20C skiing is no more fun. @mabodofulus: In the forest are bears, foxes, deer. rabbits and creepy birds. I think whoever took this picture has never seen a car that was snowed in. This is not even worth talking about it. I wished I had only that much snow on my car. The other day it took me 1 hour to get everything off and defrost the car.

@Foxie - get one of those giant blue plastic tarps and throw it over the car at night so snow fall can't build up on the car and freeze to parts. There will still be snow on it but the tarp should make it easier to clear. Also if you get one of those new Nissan LEAF electric cars you can program it to run the heater in the morning while it is plugged into the charger.

can't imagine having to scrap off snow off my car. so glad am staying in tropical climate

Actually, by looking at the background, the snow pile is quite high, and the cars' snow covers may even be called "thin".

A few years ago, I went on a winter trip to my Japanese senpai's town near Sapporo. He invited me to their house (I was checked in a nearby hotel). While we were in the hose, he invited me to the second floor, strapped on snowboards and just took off from the garage roof ... the snow pile was as high as the garage itself. Walking back to their house taught me that I need to work a lot to have a bit of fun.

There are many places I would like to be right now. That one on the picture, is not one of them. Looks cooooold.

There are many places I would like to be right now. That one on the picture, is not one of them. Looks coooold.

when i lived in Aomori, we had a kei 4x4 car, never had problems, i find the windy cold in Kobe much worse than the dry cold up north

hope police helicopters are well protected aginst heavy snowfall.

...uh oh..have to send out for donuts. At least we can be sure there"ll be less cock-ups from the cops during the winter.

A friend's snowed-in car looked like that once, illegally parked. He wrote on the windshield snow some choice curse words for the traffic security. Sure enough, next morning, got a ticket, hahaha.

http://danieldiaztecles.boosterblog.es/ Think not in the garage because it might not be able to leave it because of snow, this can clog the exit. This may be the reason that the vehicles are on the outside. In Spain there are often many snowfalls in the interior of the peninsula, and emergency vehicles tend to be better prepared for possible outside intervention.

Niseko gets an annual average of 15 metres of snow. 185 cm at the base right now (it's only 260 m above sea level), 350 cm at the top.

What's on those cars is a dusting by Niseko standards - in fact by Japan standards, for the many areas that see frequent heavy snow. People in Hokkaido, police included, know how to get their cars out of the driveway. And they do clear snow regularly - as the snowfall figures indicate, they have to.

FoxieJan. 18, 2012 - 09:31AM JST Wanda: We have special batteries here for our cars and you don't need a Landcruiser all the time

Foxie, is that's your real name, your response doesn't even make sense unless the "special batteries" allow vehicles to somehow hover above the snow. Otherwise, with a foot or more of fresh snow, a not uncommon weekly occurrence in Niseko, the ground clearance of a 4Runner or Land Cruiser might come in handy.

@cactusJack

And where are the cops? Inside drinking hot cocoa.

As opposed to eating donuts... Do you expect them to sit outside and do their paperwork there?