Next Stop, Japan

A problem many smaller remote towns have is that the young people have cleared out. That leaves Grandpa and Grandma with the hard task of cleaning up after storms. When you live in the hills of Hiroshima Prefecture, the snow piles up every winter like clockwork.

But maybe to someone who hasn’t grown up having to shovel heaps of snow each winter, snow-shoveling could be a fun experience too. At least, that’s what the Akiota-cho Sightseeing Association in Hiroshima Prefecture seems to be hoping as they try to lure city-dwellers to their 4th annual “Heavy Snow Region Experience Tour“. However, this tour has some net-users questioning why anyone would want to pay 5,000 yen to shovel snow for someone else.

For an all inclusive (onsen included) day trip, the cost isn't that bad. How very well organized and devious.