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Hey OP,
I live in Hokkaido. Everyone drives because there's only one train company and with the lack of competition the service/prices both suck. For me to get from where I live, in eastern Hokkaido, to Sapporo takes about 6.5-7 hours. They clear the crossings in groups, but I have no idea how they keep the tracks clear. I once heard about a train hitting a deer and the conductor didn't stop and move it or fix it to the car. The next train coming the opposite direction hit a bear that was eating the deer. Hokkaido is like Japan's Alaska. Driving here is still really dangerous in winter because even the main roads are somewhat poorly maintained and the side roads are basically just ice. A lot of people come to tour on bicycles in the summer though, the weather is really beautiful.
