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    1. Japanese Alps, Honshu Island, Japan

    Japan might not typically be associated with extreme snowfall, yet the Japanese Alps on Honshu Island rank as the snowiest place on Earth, with average annual snowfalls totalling 1,200 to 1,500 inches. These massive totals occur around the 2,000- to 6,000-feet levels, where it's not uncommon for snow depths to reach more than 465 inches.

    In fact, monster snowfalls have become something of a tourist attraction here. A highway known as the Yuki-no-Otani Snow Canyon is kept open, cutting through the mountains and flanked on either side by snow walls more than 30 feet high.