Japan Hit By Heavy Snowstorm

Above, Tokyo after a snowstorm in February 2014. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A "once in a decade" snowstorm has hit Japan this week. This reminds me of a similar weather event back in February 2014 when I arrived in Japan at the same time as a big snowstorm. It was another "once in a decade" snowstorm. I ended up being stranded between Narita Airport and Tokyo in a Keisei Line train in Chiba Prefecture for about 22 hours.

It didn't stop there, later in the week another strong snowstorm hit Japan. 

From Kyodo News:

A wide area of Japan is bracing for more heavy snow and strong winds Wednesday as the coldest air of this winter stays over the archipelago, with authorities warning of traffic disruptions due to frozen roads and high waves.

The weather agency forecast subzero temperatures in many locations from the northernmost island of Hokkaido to the Kyushu region in the southwest on Wednesday morning, with the mercury expected to drop to minus 3 C in Tokyo and minus 2 C in Osaka.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways plan to cancel more than 200 flights Wednesday and JR East will suspend bullet train service between Fukushima and Shinjo on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line in the northeastern Tohoku region throughout the day.

As for Tokyo this week, Kyodo News wrote:

On Tuesday, snowfall was observed in central Tokyo for the first time this season, while Fukuoka and Kagoshima, both in the Kyushu region, also saw snowfall as temperatures dipped below zero.

To read the full story, go here.