Sea of Japan coast braces for heavy snow, possible traffic disruption

Just returned from that area, specifically Shirakawago, which received 124 cm of snow from 22:00 Tuesday to 10:00 Wednesday. Absolutely lovely. 

According to the Tourist Information Center, all tours (tour buses) to the town were canceled and roads were closed to all traffic except a few highway buses, so the visitors staying at the relatively few local accommodations had the UNESCO World Heritage site to themselves, together with those arriving on the few highway buses.

Learned lots of locals are complaining about overtourism and poorly behaved visitors while profiting well off them.

Example of the profiteering. An older fellow owns a small wooden structure steps behind the bus terminal. He offers luggage storage. The tourist association has calculated his cash revenues at Y100,000 per day. That’s nearly 30 million yen a year if he works six days a week and takes four weeks of annual holiday. He used to be a chef, by the way.

Sea of Japan coast braces for heavy snow, possible traffic disruption...

You mean just like every year in winter? The locals will be well prepared.

@Asiaman7

Thanks for the onsite report. Very insightful.

I was surprised when I took the rubbish out this morning to find that there had been a sprinkling of snow overnight and some ice. I leave a water tap dripping overnight when the temperature drops below zero.

@Asiaman7: It is always so interesting to hear first-person reporting from an affected area. 124 centimetres of snowfall is incredible. Thank you for your narrative input!

When I exited Aomori eki in early March about 10:00am I walk out straight into a snow blizzard. I was cold and hurry and could eat the crutch out of a rag doll. I spotted a yoshinoya across railway square. I headed straight over and entered the warm and friend eatery and ordered a Gyudon set for 645 yen. I took a seat looking out over rail square and watch the snow blizzard cause havoc with road traffic and pedestrians. Memories of my travels of the Northern Japan during their harsh winters.

wallaceToday  08:43 am JST

I leave a water tap dripping overnight when the temperature drops below zero.

Why are you doing this?

Think a little more about the planet, stop wasting

As can be seen in the photo, which shows old snow, there has already been huge amounts of snow. This year there has been lots of "sato yuki", snow in the valleys where folks live, not the usual "yama yuki" that cakes the mountains and their ski resorts like Myoko, Nozawa Onsen, and Hakuba Cortina.

https://www.data.jma.go.jp/cpd/j_climate/hokuriku/column02.html

Yama yuki usually comes in huge chunks from intermittent fuyugata pressure systems. Sato yuki is never as intense, and to get a record, it has to snow several times a week, which it has this year.. This is not the usual people getting hit with snow, and they may have already run out of places to pile it up. Only places with big snow every year have lots of snowploughs and people in place to drive them.

Volsi

I leave a water tap dripping overnight when the temperature drops below zero.

Why are you doing this?

> Think a little more about the planet, stop wasting

There is no water shortage in Japan. It prevents the cold water pipes from freezing which would involve costly repairs. It's only a "dripping tap" overnight.

wallaceToday  10:09 am JST

There is no water shortage in Japan. It prevents the cold water pipes from freezing which would involve costly repairs. It's only a "dripping tap" overnight.

Ah ok I understand.

In the region where I live there is no need (Aichi near the sea). Maybe it is interesting to protect the pipes from the cold (I lived in a cold country before and never needed to do what you do)

Volsi

There is no water shortage in Japan. It prevents the cold water pipes from freezing which would involve costly repairs. It's only a "dripping tap" overnight.

Ah ok I understand.

In the region where I live there is no need (Aichi near the sea). Maybe it is interesting to protect the pipes from the cold (I lived in a cold country before and never needed to do what you do)

In my previous house, the cold pipe froze and burst. It cost ¥50,000 to have it repaired since the pipe was under the house. A dripping overnight tap is much cheaper.

@wallace

You're doing the right thing. Not only to prevent the repair costs, but you can also say "for the environment". The impact of using that water is far less than the energy used to make the repair pipes and other materials, as well as fuel the vehicles coming to your place to make the repairs.

Thing that happens every year happens again. News at 11.....

Why is the record heat doing this?

It's a rich man's world and Kyoto only wants to attract those visitors, then!

Weather:

Since early December, there has been a constant flow of rather cold air coming over the Japan Sea from China. The result is snow, like, whenever that happens. The interesting thing is that the “hottest ever” pattern that makes every summer so hot does not apply to producing very mild winters. It is indeed an unfortunate cycle.

Bring it!!!! We want more snowstorms.

The interesting thing is that the “hottest ever” pattern that makes every summer so hot does not apply to producing very mild winters. It is indeed an unfortunate cycle.

Average winter temperatures in Nagano have been rising. The mechanism that brings snow isn't directly related to temperature though and the conditions that bring it, mostly the lake effect off the Japan Sea and orthographical (sp?) lift at the mountains, are still the same. Niigata is not Yukiguni because its cold. Many places are way colder but get hardly any snow. Niigata is mild enough that you can spray ground water and well water to melt snow without it all freezing and turning your road or car park into a skating rink.

kohakuebisu: You are correct about  "mostly the lake effect off the Japan Sea and orthographical (sp?) lift at the mountains" Hobart in Tasmania is at the same latitude as Kushiro and in Hobart it is a rarity for snow.

Popped out for lunch as 12.30 and there was snow falling, haven’t seen here for a couple, of years. I live in Osaka city center so as ever I’m very unlikely to have any issues from the wintry weather.