Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend across many mountainous areas and the side of the country facing the Japan Sea.
The Meteorological Agency says a strong cold air mass and an atmospheric pressure pattern typical for the season have brought heavy snow to regions from Chugoku through to Hokkaido.
Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in mountainous areas of the Hokuriku and Kanto-Koshin regions.
A strong cold air mass brought record snowfall this week to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures. Blizzards left more than 2,000 vehicles stranded for many hours on an expressway.
Heavy snowfall in northwest Japan stranded more than 2,000 vehicles on highways Thursday. Although that number had fallen to at least 670 by Friday afternoon (Japan time), the company that manages the highways said that it likely would take until Saturday morning for about 700 rescuers to free the remaining cars. Snow had accumulated to several feet deep in places, including at a toll complex.
Japan's Self-Defense Force has sent troops to deliver food, gasoline and blankets to stranded drivers as well as to help clear snows. According to video by NBC News, some drivers abandoned their vehicles on the road.
Weather officials in Japan are warning of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in coastal areas along the Sea of Japan.
A strong cold air mass brought a record snowfall of about 200 centimeters to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures from Tuesday to Thursday.
Record-breaking snowfall continues to down power lines and close off traffic arteries in northern and western Japan --- with little relief in sight. For some it's meant many hours stuck on the highway --- without food and with nowhere to go.
About 2,000 vehicles were stranded on this expressway which links Tokyo to Niigata - on Wednesday.
Another blast of heavy snow is expected for coastal areas of the country along the Sea of Japan starting around Friday evening.
Due to a strong cold air mass over the Japanese archipelago, coupled with the season's typical atmospheric air pattern, heavy snow continued falling in mountainous areas from northern through western Japan.
Unusually heavy snowfall for this time of the year is wreaking havoc across many parts of Japan. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has instructed his cabinet ministers to provide support for local governments affected.
Suga held a meeting with relevant Cabinet ministers on Thursday, as the heavy snow is forecast to continue this week.
Heavy snowfall on Thursday stranded more than 1,000 vehicles on a Japanese expressway.
The line of cars and trucks on this highway connecting Tokyo to Niigata stretched for a full fifteen kilometers. Many had no access to food or water for hours.
A broad swath of Japan is digging itself out from a massive snowfall. Weather officials are warning of slippery roads - and even avalanches - for areas stretching from Hokkaido down to western Japan.
Residents of a community north of Tokyo spent the morning clearing away a blanket of fresh snow. A record 128 centimeters of the white stuff fell over Minakami Town in a single day.
The season's most powerful cold air mass over Japan is bringing heavy snow to areas on the Sea of Japan coast from Hokkaido in the north and to the Chugoku region in the southwest. Weather officials are calling for caution against avalanches, icy roads, and traffic disruptions.
Snowfall in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning was 128 centimeters in Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture, and 113 centimeters in Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture -- both the heaviest 24-hour snowfalls on record.
The annual Sapporo Snow Festival scheduled for January and February is expected to forgo its usual displays of snow and ice sculptures, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sapporo Mayor Akimoto Katsuhiro told reporters on Thursday that city officials have judged it would be difficult to hold the event in the usual style.
The season's first catch of snow crabs has been auctioned in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan.
The snow crab season in the Sea of Japan off Tottori and other prefectures began on Friday.
The fishing season for snow crabs began on Friday in the Sea of Japan off Fukui Prefecture.
Boats carrying the renowned winter delicacy unloaded their haul at ports in the prefecture.
HACHIMANTAI, Iwate Prefecture--As the seasons change, the melting snow has revealed the "Hachimantai dragon eye" at Kagaminuma swamp near the top of Mount Hachimantai, which borders Iwate and Akita prefectures.
Snow remains near the peak of the 1,613-meter-high mountain. The swamp, about 50 meters in diameter, is said to look like a huge "dragon eye" when seen from above.