KUSHIRO, Hokkaido--A long-distance hiking trail ... Japan has nothing approaching the length of the famed Appalachian Trail, a 3,536-kilometer mountain route in the United States.

Not many, however, would think of Hokkaido ... of powdery snow from November until May, a paradise for expert off-piste skiers and snowboarders. Once the snow melts, hiking trails along the ...

The snowboarder was enjoying a day out in the hilly region of Akaigawa Village in western Hokkaido on Monday morning when she came across a leg sticking out of the snow, reported The Hokkaido Shimbun.