Tag - snow

 
 

SNOW

Snow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2025
Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan
The cold air mass is expected to fluctuate in intensity and persist until the weekend, with heavy snow forecast for Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku later this week.
Visitors view snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival, which kicked off on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2025
Sapporo Snow Festival kicks off with giant sculptures
Snow sculptures created by locals include one of Hokkaido native Haruka Kitaguchi, who won gold in the women’s javelin throwing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A snowy street in the city of Aomori in early January
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2025
Weather agency warns of heavy snow in many areas from Tuesday
The Meteorological Agency urged people to be on high alert for possible traffic disruptions.
Snow falls as cars and pedestrians cross an intersection in Tokyo. The meteorological agency is warning of possible traffic disruptions caused by snow and icy roads.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2025
Snow may disrupt traffic in Tokyo area from Sunday
Delays and cancellations may occur on some train lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area, according to JR East.
People remove snow in the city of Aomori on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2025
Caution urged as heavy snow forecast for Sea of Japan coast
Authorities have warned individuals to consider vehicle safety as well as the risks of traffic disruptions, snow falling from roofs and damage to buildings.
People remove snow from a sidewalk in Sapporo after a heavy snowstorm in January 2022. A team of Japanese scientists has concluded that global warming was what caused Hokkaido to receive up to 20% more snow than usual in December 2021.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 18, 2024
Japanese study links heavy Hokkaido snowfall in 2021 to climate change
Global warming caused Hokkaido to receive up to 20% more snow in December 2021 than usual, a team of Japanese scientists concluded.
A worker walks along the partially snowless slope at the William F. Rogers Ski Area at Massachusetts' Blue Hills in January.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 17, 2024
Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter
Warmer winters also impact everything from sports to drinking water and even seasonal allergies.
A screen grab taken from a live video stream broadcast by the Shizuoka Municipal Government on Wednesday shows Mount Fuji with a dusting of snow on its peak, seen from the Shizuoka side of the mountain.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2024
Snow seen on Mount Fuji after record time without snowcap
Photographs taken from different points around the mountain, where the skies were clearer early on Wednesday, showed a covering of snow on its peak.
An earthquake-damaged area in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May 2023. The Noto Peninsula has been experiencing an ongoing “seismic swarm” since late 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Jun 3, 2024
How rain and snow play a role in Noto’s ‘seismic swarm’
The seismic activity in the region is synchronized with changes in underground pressure, which is influenced by seasonal patterns of precipitation.
The mother of a student killed in a 2017 avalanche prays for her son at her home in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 30, 2024
Three sentenced to two years in prison over 2017 avalanche deaths
The defendants guilty of professional negligence resulting in death and injury.
Residents remove snow from rooftops together with workers from a snow removal company in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, in January 2021. In fiscal 2022, 49 people in Japan died during activities related to the clearing of snow. Of these, 39 people — or roughly 80% — were age 65 or older.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Land ministry goes digital to prevent snow-clearing accidents
The system is aimed at assessing the risks associated with snow removal at individual houses to avert mishaps, particularly ones involving the elderly.
The Meteorological Agency has predicted that up to 5 centimeters of snow will fall across Kanto, with mountainous areas throughout the region expected to see up to 8 cm.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2024
Forecast calls for snow in Tokyo through Friday as temperatures drop
The weather agency is warning of traffic disruption and icy roads, with the Kanto region likely to experience heavy snowfall.
The Mount Kazafuki Ooike Pond in the village of Otari, Nagano Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2024
Two taken to hospital after Nagano avalanche rescue
The two who were rescued after the avalanche on the 1,888-meter Mount Kazafuki, near the village of Otari in Nagano Prefecture, were conscious.
Director of the Akan International Crane Center, Miyuki Kawase, says tourism is incredibly helpful for the birds, but the people who come to take pictures of the birds have to remember they are still wild animals.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 24, 2024
Miyuki Kawase: ‘Experience, whether happy, sad or painful, makes you grow’
The director of the Akan International Crane Center in Hokkaido tells us how she found herself in a career centered around the symbolic white birds.
Kazuyuki and Yuki Shimamoto are the executive chef and head patissier chef at Mimi’s Restaurant and Bar in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 10, 2024
Kazuyuki and Yuki Shimamoto: ‘When you make things you love, you naturally just get better at it’
A culinary couple share their thoughts on a career in the kitchen and how they approach life in one of Japan’s major tourist towns.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2024
Heavy snow falls in Tokyo and wider region, impacting transport networks
While the snowfall may peak overnight, those commuting on Tuesday morning are likely to encounter icy roads and impacts on trains or roadways.
It doesn't snow everywhere in Japan, but when it does, it falls in blankets that must be cleared away, sometimes through unexpected means.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 4, 2024
Rural Japan’s snow removal solutions range from cute to curious
Outside of Tokyo, cities that get a significant volume of snow tend to have better ways of dealing with it than the capital.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2024
Sapporo Snow Festival opens with food areas coming back
Set to run until Feb. 11, this year’s festival features a total of 196 snow and ice sculptures at three venues.
Australian Tayler Paulsen and her Kiwi husband Neil managed to purchase a fully-equipped lodge in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, for only AU$110,000 (about ¥10 million).
COMMUNITY / The Foreign Element
Jan 29, 2024
In Niigata, a winter (and real estate) wonderland
For Australians and New Zealanders facing expensive prices back home, Japan’s snow country is a hotbed for cheap real estate.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2024
Quake-hit Noto and Sea of Japan coast face heavy snowfall
Authorities have warned of possible road closures and the suspension of public transportation due to icy roads and snow.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival