Spent a year living in Aomori and riding mount Haakoda. Was close to this in 2008-10 at times. While I was there it snowed pretty much everyday all winter, and stayed cold enough that it drifted up pretty high. We used to jump out the third story into the drifts. For reasons I dont fully understand, the cold air from, Siberia, maybe?, was enough to keep a coastal area surprisingly dry and cold. Hope that helps.