Japan Heavy snowfall and exceptional cold snaps in the archipelago

Japan: Heavy snowfall and exceptional cold snaps in the archipelago

The opportunity was too good: as heavy snowfalls threaten across Japan, causing traffic disruptions, passers-by and tourists take the opportunity to immortalize white-shrouded temples and shrines in photos. The scene was the same at Zenkoji Temple in the city of Nagano, in the heart of the Japanese Alps in the center of the country, and in Kyoto, the former imperial capital with a rich historical heritage.

“I came to ski, but the snow was so thick that I changed my program and decided to do some sightseeing in the city instead,” says Akiko Sotobori, a tourist in Nagano. At the ski resort, “the blizzard was such that I couldn’t see anything three meters away,” she said. However, the capital Tokyo and its large suburbs were spared the snow and suffered from a stronger cold than usual.

“These temperatures are among the coldest in a decade,” said Takafumi Umeda, an official with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The agency warned of the risk of snowstorms, high waves on the coasts and ice on the roads.

According to government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, one person died in the country due to the severe cold snap, and authorities were also investigating two other deaths that may be weather-related. Hundreds of flights have been canceled due to snowstorms, and trains have also been delayed or canceled, including on high-speed routes. There were also numerous traffic jams on the roads.