Kihei Takahashi, Japan's leading authority on snow and ice, died of pneumonia in Nishiwaga, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, his family said. He was 95.
Takahashi conducted research into using forests to block avalanches while at the then Tohoku branch of the forestry research laboratory under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He also taught part time and was a well-known snow photographer.
He concentrated on writing after retiring from the research laboratory in 1971.
Takahashi won the Japan Essayist Club Award for "Yukiguni Dobutsuki" ("Essay on Animals in Snowy Regions") in 1960. He also received the Eiji Yoshikawa cultural award in 1977.
He pioneered the idea of using snow festivals and ice sculptures to promote snowy regions.
A native of Akita Prefecture, Takahashi was an honorary member of the Japan Society of Snow and Ice.