In preparation for the spring tourist season, snow removal work is underway on Kinsei Road, a tourist road that connects Okunikko in Tochigi Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture.
Kinsei Road is a national highway that connects Okunikko Yumoto in Nikko City with Katashina Village in Gunma Prefecture, and during the winter, an approximately 18-kilometer section of the road near the prefectural border pass is closed to traffic due to snow.
Snow removal work has been underway since the beginning of this month ahead of the spring tourist season.
The snow on the road was about 3 meters and 50 centimeters deep, and on the 28th, three snowplows and other vehicles were out, breaking up the remaining snow on the road and blowing it toward the slope beside the road.
Snow removal work will continue, and Kinsei Road is scheduled to be fully opened to traffic on the 25th of next month after road surface inspections and repair work are completed.
Tatsuo Hashimoto, deputy director of the Tochigi Prefecture Nikko Civil Engineering Office, said, ``This is a scenic tourist road that represents Nikko, so we want to make sure it's well maintained so that it can be used safely.''