Trees are given "Yuki-tsuri", which is the extra support to protect branches from heavy snow.
Kanazawa & beyond called Hokuriku.
Mainly mountainous,the region offers aspects to please most travelars, but
the old towns of Kanazawa(Ishikawa) and Takayama(Gifu) offer an array of of
additional historical and cultural assets to make them the firm favorites in the
Hokuriku region.
(…from "National Geographic Traveler: Japan")