Over 500 people taken to hospitals in Tokyo after falling due to snow

The injured included “an 84-year-old man who broke his leg after falling when he was riding a bicycle.”

I’m just speechless.

84 year old man cycling in the snow??? Sorry but that’s just guileless and ludicrous. Hope he feels silly now

Lol same here for me guys.

I’m tellin peeps that yesterday it snowed all over…and yeah it seemed like an old man slipped and hurt his leg. National news :)

Stay safe.

Last night it snowed about 15cm, here in Victoria. It was wet and heavy. Dangerous for driving or walking.

From my living room window I witnessed three accidents involving stupid people. But, as Forrest Gump said, stupid is stupid. Or something like that.

More than 50 people being taken to Tokyo hospitals, out of a population of almost 10 million, is nothing. Pardon me for being blunt, but idiots are idiots no matter the country.

Time to get your snowboards out it’s snow

It’s so peaceful in Tokyo while it’s snowing. It’s almost surreal! However, the slippery aftermath is hell!

including an 84-year-old man who broke his leg after falling when he was riding a bicycle

Stupid old goat won't be doing that again. Idiot drivers were still running red lights and taking no regard to the conditions either

Spare a thought for the people of Hokkaido.

How is this news?

Hokkaido are fully prepared for it every winter @Ingvar. Comparison unnecessary.

I'd say 50 people would get injured every time is rains in a city of tens of millions of people, what's your point.

Yes, people slip and slide on snow-not really newsworthy

I hope I'm cycling when I'm 84, and don't get caught out away from home as this gentleman did. I'm sure the poor guy's heartbroken that he'll (probably) never get back in the saddle.

As someone who lived in Canada, I'd recommend getting your hands on a decent pair of hiking boots with a gummy sole or better yet, get some crampons. Might seem like overkill, but still better than slipping and inuring yourself. A cheap alternative is attaching several large zip ties to your boots, with the knobby part touching the ground.

I know snow isn't the most common thing in Tokyo, but it is also not unheard of. Yet every time, I swear people here have never seen snow in their life. I always see people pouring hot water on their front steps like they totally forgot how ice is formed. My building manager was doing the same thing this morning (Yes, I explained why it is a bad idea).

take care guys

Get well soon!!!

I could barely walk in all that icy, slippery mess yesterday; so what was that 84-year-old grandpa thinking trying to cycle in those conditions?!!

I'm from a very cold, snowy place in the world and it makes me laugh at the tokyoites who lose their minds when they see a single snowflake.

When it snows it makes tokyo look beautiful and peaceful.

However, the problem is, as far as I know, there is no budget for snow removal equipment. And therein lies the problem. Tokyo is a mess after it snows because the locals are ill-prepared and virtually incapable of walking on snow or ice thus creating a bit of chaos for about a week after a snow fall as such.

what was that 84-year-old grandpa thinking trying to cycle in those conditions?

Trying to get home? Plenty others were caught unawares, too.

I was raised in a country that the very definition is show and winter.

What I cannot understand in Japan after over 30 years is why the Metro/train station, the department store, nearly every convenience store, use "tiles" around the entrance.

These tiles are slippery and dangerous enough when it rains but become minefield when it snows, even my good old Canadian "Sorel" snowboots will slide along like on an ice rink.

Then we have the people pouring warm or hot water on the road or sidewalk to get rid of the snow especially infront of Izakaya and of businesses, only for that water to freeze creating a nice ice rink, are they trying to make a broom Ball rink?

Randy JohnsonToday  10:15 am JST

You can laugh if you want but unlike places like Canada, few people have the footwear to handle snow or ice few vehicles have winter tires ( which in many parts of North America are mandatory to be on your car by a certain date in the fall).

As for snow removal equipment, why should Tokyo have any, the rarity of snow staying around for more than a day or two just doesn't justify maintaining millions of dollars in vehicles etc...

It would be like Saying why isn't the city or Yellowknife not prepared for a 40°C heatwave that may happen once in a blue moon.

some snow wouldn't hurt ... besides the kids love it - take your kids out for some fun

Get well soon!

Then we have the people pouring warm or hot water on the road or sidewalk to get rid of the snow especially infront of Izakaya and of businesses,

Are you serious?!?! Are they trying to kill their customers via slipping??

Beautiful Tokyo snow !!..

Ridiculous. People acting like there hasn’t been snow in Japan in 4 hundred years….

Let people be happy..

I hope I'm cycling when I'm 84, and don't get caught out away from home as this gentleman did. I'm sure the poor guy's heartbroken that he'll (probably) never get back in the saddle.

If he got "caught" by surprise ( meaning he left home before it started to snow) then common sense says, to do one of 2 things,.

1 find a safe place to lock the bike up for a day or two, walk home of if needed take a train, taxi, etc... 2 if the distance is not far, one "walks" the bike home not ride.

Years ago I got caught in Ibaraki during a snow fall, while on a job site, being from Tokyo I didn't have chains or winter tires.

I wasn't stupid enough to try driving in that mess without chains or winter tires and only well worn summer tires.

I left the car in a secured parking, took the train home and returned ba few days later to get the car once it was safe to drive. ( Also decided to buy snow straps/chains so not to be in a situation like that again).

All food delivery services were gone, had to starve :(

Riding a bike in the snow is perfectly normal but perhaps you shouldn't do it if you are not used to it.

Cat litter is very useful to over come icy paths and roads spray the bottom of you shoes or boots with adhesive and stand in cat litter. I also spread cat litter all around the drive wheels of my car so they don’t spin when trying to take off when in icy conditions

I always wear cleats over my shoes after snow. They are cheap and very effective against taking a dive on the ice.

What's wrong with throwing some rock salt on the roads and pavements? It's not exactly high tech, but it would keep people out of the hospital.

Keep safe and look after each other; especially the elderly.

People talk about how easy it is to do this and that, but you need to factor in the cost-benefit. A few hundred people out of millions getting hurt is acceptable than paying millions to purchase and maintain equipment. Even rock salt needs hundreds or maybe thousands of specialized trucks to spread them on roads throughout a big city like Tokyo.

Derek Grebe: In Japan they don’t used salt. They used a inert abrasive to spread on the roads. I use cat litter which is very similar. Why they do used salt because after winter the build up of salt get into the water way and endangering everything that live in them like frogs bugs worms fish and other insects.

My mom fell while shoveling snow and broke here ankle. It was bad enough that they put pins in to hold the bones steady, then 6 months later, they pulled the pins out, so she was on crutches for almost a year - because she slipped on snow on a hill.

Not funny at all.

When I got home that evening, I expected to have the driveway shoveled, but it wasn't. Inside was a note.

"Mom fell on the snow.

We're at the hospital.

Shovel the driveway.

-Dad"

Most people in Tokyo, do not live near a train station, so the train may be effective, but do not run where most people live