With the building lifted and walls and rooms left spartan, air could more easily flow under and through the house. In the Tohoku region of Japan (the northern part of the main island plus Hokkaido) where Akita is, they deal with the abundance of snow by having heated roads. All around campus, tall red and white poles have been stuck near curbs so cars and buses know where the road is.
They have adapted to the lack of space by heavily inhabiting coastal cities. The rainy season in the summer followed by hot weather is important to for the cultivation of rice. They use the little space they have outside of mountains and cities for growing food. All in all, Japan has made itself into an amazingly unique country despite all of its challenges.
