Japan has a far simpler way to clear snow from roads and the US may want to copy it

Snow can wreak havoc on the roads, but Japan has developed a simpler way to clear it – one that the US would benefit from copying.

Sure, we all like watching the snow fall from the comfort of our warm homes.

But driving in snow is no cause for celebration, with reduced visibility and slippery roads being enough to put the most seasoned driver on edge.

Over in Japan, though, they’ve thought up an ingenious method to clear the roads, and it’s something Americans will want to take on board.

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How Japan deals with snow on roads

When we think of traditional snow-clearing methods in the US, our minds will go to images of plow trucks and spreading salt.

Oh yeah, and the classic shoveling snow of the driveway – always what you want to be doing before you head to work.

In Japan, things work a lot differently, thanks to a ‘shosetsu’ system.

Believe it or not, this goes back to the 1960s when sprinklers were installed along the roads of the city of Nagaoka.

The water from the sprinklers soaks the streets, thus melting the snow.

Now, the sprinklers are on roads nationwide, and it’s been a rip-roaring success.

Thanks to the hot springs dotted across Japan and the temperature of gathered rainwater, the sprinklers spray warm water.

It feels like a statement of the obvious, but such a system would only work with warm water.

Spraying cold water over snow would at best be useless and at worst be dangerous.

Anyone who’s slipped down an icy set of steps knows what we’re talking about here.

This type of infrastructure would be tough to replicate in the US, or indeed most countries outside of China.

Japan benefits from being geothermally warm, so perhaps it’s uniquely suited for the Shosetsu system.

Not that it’ll make the rest of us feel any less envious while we’re shoveling snow in the bitter cold.

What else can Americans learn from other countries when it comes to driving?

In general, Japan has some great habits when it comes to driving – whether it’s parking courtesy or paying at broken toll booths.

But Japan isn’t the only country that the US could look to for some pointers.

When it comes to EV adoption, the US could take some notes from Norway, where 97 percent of all cars sold are electric.

Over in Iceland, they’ve come up with a smart way of improving road safety using an Ísafjörður crosswalk.

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