Snow country (Japan) Snow country (Japan) Snow country (雪国 "yukiguni"; also, more prosaically, 豪雪地帯 "gōsetsu chitai" ["heavy snow area"]) refers to areas in Japan characterized by heavy, long-lasting snowfalls. The rather poetic can refer to any place with heavy or deep snows and is generally understood as a reference to the Sea of Japan side of Honshū (Japan's main island) and the area encompassed by the Japanese Alps, a series of mountain ranges that make up the island's backbone. In its broadest meaning, "snow country" means the belt along the Sea of Japan from Yamaguchi (in particular, Shimane) in the south to Honshū's
Panayır Island area (archaeological site). But in 2010, Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning ended its SIT status. Now there is an intense discussion on the future of the island Panayır Island Panayır Island () is an Aegean island of Turkey. It was once known as "Ziraat Island" ("Agriculture Island"). It is now also known as "Altın Adası" ("Gold Island"). The island is a part of Didim ilçe (district) of Aydın Province at The area of the island is about . Its distance to main land (Altınkum beach of Didim in Anatolia) is . Currently the island is uninhabited . But there