Snow hits Kanto again; over 100 flights grounded

We have about 32 cm in Mie, just outside Ise shi. The countryside looks very beautiful, a winter wonderland as we rarely see snow in ouir area.

Why is the news always only focused on Kanto? I am in Kansai and the snowfall is 3 times more than that which Tokyo is getting.

Two weekends in a row. Let me stress this is only screwing up people's WEEKENDS. I want to get out of Tokyo, but this snow keeps shutting down the roads/trains. Its really, really getting annoying.

The biggest problem in the Kanto Plain is that they're not well-equipped to deal with big snowfalls like this. This isn't like Hokkaido, the Tohoku region of Honshu, or any larger town on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, where such snow falls are common (30 cm would be considered a "medium" snowstorm in the parts of Japan I mentioned) and are way better-equipped to handle the snow.

" Why is the news always only focused on Kanto?"

DaDude, don't you know Tokyo is the center of the universe, at least in the eyes of JT? That's why.

How much snow there in Kansai?

DaDudeFeb. 15, 2014 - 01:32AM JST "Why is the news always only focused on Kanto? I am in Kansai and the snowfall is 3 times more than that which Tokyo is getting."

But, it is great for readers to share their stories with us. How much did you get? We are on the CHUO Line and the whole area beyond Takao, Kanagawa, Yamanashi have gotten over one meter and and it is STILL snowing!! Our veranda roof just broke!! We need to get on the roof and shovel but no one can possibly get up there!!! Cars are completely buried!!!! There are going to have to be some major injuries and insurane problems this time round!!! No access to stores or transportation. Yes, readers do live outside of Tokyo.

Just went for a nice walk through the field & wood in Shonan. Easily 30cm, and that's slightly more than last Saturday where I walked through the same area. Happiest Valentine's Day with my better half(who also enjoys the white fluff ).

I am not engineer but with all of the hotsprings, and hot water running under Tokyo, etc..I am sure there must be a way to divert this natural HOT WATER to keep the major roads in the greater Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba area clean of frozen messy dirty snow. If I am not mistaken in some parts of Japan this is already being done to keep the roads free of ice and snow.

Thanks JT for this line :) as well as some slightly diminished snowmen were still in evidence across the city.

Waaa we just got 65cm in My town****

It really is a pity that this great country with all these smart people does not manage to solve a crisis or better a night of snow. Stranded yesterday at Haneda as there was no indication whatsoever that international flights do not take off. My plane was supposed to leave at 1:10am. ANA finally postponed the flight to 9:15 after 2am. They finally started cleaning the runway at around 10am. Really nothing happened then on the airport until 12:30am. We get new announcements every 1:30h that the flight will take off 1:30h later. When boarding should start they say it'll take a few more minutes. When the deadline for take off is only 5-10min away another 90min delay is announced.

Unfortunately, the lack of transparency prevents alternative individual solutions. My colleagues who left from Narrita 12h later are all in the air now. I had a backup hotel room near Tokyo central station which then was no help as you could not get any transport any more at 2am. A backup plan from ANA was not existing either as they were only prepared to handout about 30 blankets with several 100 people in the lounge some even without a chair. Took me two hours to get one. Up to now not a single higher management person showed up. It really is a pity...

I am so glad that I only miss a plane and was far away from the Fukushima accident and thus did not need to endure a life endangering Japanese crisis management. Additionally, I am lucky to sit in a lounge. Have just been at the bus-gates. It's 2-3 times worse. But the only people who complain are non Japanese. Amazing. Good cultural training though...

The forecast for Kumagaya was initially 20 cm, a little less than half of what we got last week (43+). It turns out to have been 60+ cm. The veranda roof is going to need repair or replacement despite efforts to keep the snow off of it. The outdoor unit for the gas-run water heater is in a spot where it can't be kept free enough of drifted and fallen snow to allow free exhaust flow, so the fail-safe prevents the water heater from working. Last week I got enough snow moved to make it work; this time it's not practical.

It's going to be a while before a reasonable amount of effort and (hopefully) melting snow/ice on the streets will make getting the car out a viable option, despite it being 4WD capable.

At least the electricity works, and the city gas-run fan heaters are OK.

Here in Ota Gunma I spent the better part of 6 hours non stop with my wife shoveling snow. Our driveway is clear BUT we are still locked in as I cannot get out of our area. I also saw several car ports that had collapsed under the weight of this snow.

On another note I just heard this is the heaviest snow fall in 120 years!!!

30 flights but mine is not one of them :(

Wew...just got home .... got an aching back...the guys in the train pushed me so hard. We're like sardines in a can. This snow really spoiled a lot of Valentines date tonight.

Cold one today. And of all the cold snow that falleth upon japan, it is but a heater next to the hearts of most of them.

With much of the 70 cm of snow we spent hours shoveling last week still on the ground, it was with a heavy heart we awoke this a.m. ! I moved the car to a safer park area but was advised that after the snow ploughs come through, my car could be buried for days. Indeed, last week's snow was pretty much still in place. Yesterday, I helped a neighbor dig her car out. Today, we tried to keep up with the snow shoveling but gave up early on. Shoveled only to turn around and find the done spot refilled! Wow! One town still has snow on both sides of its already narrow streets. Large trucks wait for shovel cars to fill their beds up and the trucks have to drive the snow away. Pedestrians and cars have to share the slippery streets. At least in my home country, pedestrians, cars and front doors of shops and homes did not share the same narrow street. and these narrow streets are actually also main thoroughfares for huge delivery trucks in some cases! No wonder so many people are injured, maybe walking slipping with a truck unable to stop soon enough. Scary stuff, this. Maybe 30 plus cm this time. Hard to say, much is slush. Many people walked home more than an hour with no transportation. We prepared for a blackout, getting lights, radios, water bottles, water, food, camping equipment ready. Hope this is it for the year. Crazy weather all over the world!

Unfriggin' believable! I feel like I'm in Niigata!

Got buried in this global warming powder last weekend and now well and truly buried here again. This is beyond fun, enjoyable and way beyond a joke. I have never seen snow like this in 20 years living here and I hope its not a sign of what we are in for in future years.

"Last week, as much as 27 centimeters of snow was recorded in Tokyo, the capital’s worst snowfall for 45 years"

More like 'best snowfall for 45 years'

Tokyo for once is different: messy, smiling, white, slow, disorganized, ... What a refreshing moment! Whoooopi!

lattice fence just broke!!

Around 11:30 a.m. some of the 1 meter plus snow from our roof slid down and broke the gutter which was then resting on the wire that is the source of our electricity. That was scary. So we got a long pole and jiggled it loose like a tooth. Came crashing down but the wire was fine and the car's hood was stronger than I had imagined after it fell on it! Then another veranda roof was about to collapse but we removed much of the snow. Still waiting for the remaining heavy snow to come crashing down and break yet another gutter! Telling neighbors to stay clear! 10 neighbors went in for a break, lunch and naps or baths and later went out for the next shift!! ugh!! Jobs are canceled, others have family still not home. This IS a disaster. We are completely cut off from society and any emergency access. Helicopters were flying overhead all day to assess the damage and situations. And once the real melting starts we will see land slides. We are going to start into our food reserves like dried beans and oatmeal and old rice. If this is going to become a regular occurance every winter, we really need to rethink our lifestyle! Our community is strong and has disaster readiness training. All we could do today after hours of work was make a narrow walking path from house to house and down to the street, which is meaningless until the bull dozers come through. Maybe not until Monday night, they say. Our hearts go out to those who are stranded no matter where you are!

Well, this may be yesterday's news, but the sun is shining, slowly the 1 meter of snow still on our rooves is dripping. I hope it drips but could slide down in shifts so still telling people to stay clear. The paths we fiinally dug yesterday will be widened today. I wish I could post a picture of the yet to be removed 1 meter of snow on the only road that connects us to the rest of the world! If any elderly have an accident or there is a fire, there is nothing we can do!! Cannot even get to the fire station ACROSS THE STREET! 　Gratitude to all who are giving up own time and hobbies and sleep to help people stranded in homes or trains or airports. It is really hard to know what is happening so news agencies have a great responsiblity to use whatever means they have to contact communities, transportation, the military, the police, electric companies, gas companies, and whoever has the data available. Just telling us that Tokyo got a lot of snow reminds me of the Fukushima reports of March 2011 that were actually from Tokyo. Our area still has running water and electricity and gas. But, propane delivery trucks will not be able to come and replace our tanks any time soon. Nights are cold without kerosene or propane! Pet food is also running low. Oh, don't forget about animal shelters who have numerous dogs that need to be taken out for twice daily walks. They need help! Good luck to all!

Quiet a bit of snow buildup here in western Tokyo, not a bad as last week though.

Yes! Cancelled again!!!

10 more years to retirement. Then I'll finally be able to say to those waxing poetic about the beauty of snow - 'send me a photo'.

Japan is having record heat in the summer and now record snow... yeah... not good.

Looks like it's what's more to come from global warming.

Hope it turns to rain, I really wanna get up to Fukushima from Yokohama tomorrow.......

It's raining now, but I'm still crossing my fingers

I remember the Day after the Challenger Shuttle Disaster, January 29th, 1986.... Toyo had a lot of snow that day too. Close to a foot.

Looks like they may need it. Best of luck, peeps!

So what was the weather like 45 years ago when that last record snow fall fell in the Tokyo area? Is this what we will be returning to?

I love snow but just like hot sunny weather, ONLY when I'm on holidays in 'that' location. Don't want to see snow in Tokyo nor can I stand the days where the temps climb above 25c.

Many trains are stopped this morning. Tokyo is frozen - literally! I don't understand why a city that gets snow regularly comes to a standstill after a few centimetres of snow.

Here's the JR East status website: http://traininfo.jreast.co.jp/train_info/e/kanto.aspx

I love the snow, particularly at the weekend. Last weekend was the happiest I've felt for years. Fingers crossed work gets cancelled again today!

Why is a city like Tokyo, given the vast amount of residence tax we pay, dependent on individual citizens doing the right thing and clearing their bit of pavement?

Why is there no salt for the roads in a country completely surrounded by seawater?