Water's three states converge at ground level in Yamagata Prefecture in winter: The white stuff never seems to stop falling, and the hot spring water never fails to bubble up, sending steam into the chilly air.
That makes it an ideal spot for Japan's treasured tradition of onsen -- the healing waters warmed by the earth's cockles.
Yamagata is distinguished by being Japan's only prefecture with at least one onsen in each of its 44 municipalities, according to Nobuhiro Domon, manager of international tourism for the prefectural government.