National Route 39

This camera looks along National Route 39 in the Nagayama district of Asahikawa, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Viewers see a wide urban road with passing cars, delivery trucks and buses, roadside shops and signs, and the low buildings typical of this part of the city. In winter the scene is often framed by snow piled along the edges and bare trees.

Traffic is heaviest in the morning and evening commutes, when the road fills with cars and the pace of the scene changes. Winter brings snow, slush and grey skies, and the road surface and markings look different from summer. Spring and autumn offer clearer light and milder weather, and the long daylight of northern Hokkaido summers keeps the road visible well into the evening.

Asahikawa is one of Hokkaido's larger cities, set in a basin between mountain ranges and crossed by several rivers. It is known for very cold winters and for its ramen, and it serves as a base for trips into the surrounding countryside. National Route 39 is a main road through the city, used by residents and by travellers heading toward the interior of Hokkaido.