For those thinking of going on a ski getaway this weekend, make sure you are up to date with the weather conditions. Heavy snowfall over the weekend brought northern Japan’s Hokkaido to a standstill. Thousands of people were stranded at its main airport and hundreds of thousands had their commutes disrupted. With another round of heavy snow forecast along the Sea of Japan coast later this week, people are bracing for a repeat.
Stuck at the airport
Travelers spend the night at New Chitose Airport due to heavy snow
On Monday, Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport appeared more like a makeshift hostel than the island’s busiest airport. Due to public transit disruptions, about 7,000 people were stranded there through Sunday night to Monday, with many sleeping on mats or in sleeping bags that were handed out.
One man said he had been standing in line for eight or nine hours.
Another said his group had to sleep huddled together on the floor and called the situation “desperate.”
Convenience stores in the airport were also reportedly almost sold out of food and beverages.
Transit services canceled
Snow is cleared from the train tracks
Delays in clearing the heavy snow resulted in the cancellation of many train and bus services between the airport and Sapporo.
From Sunday, many other train services to other parts of Hokkaido were suspended at JR Sapporo Station.
As a result, people filled the area in front of the wickets as they waited for train services that eventually resumed on Monday afternoon.
People wait for services to resume at Sapporo Station
JR Group’s Hokkaido Railway Company says that more than 960 train trips were canceled on Sunday and Monday, affecting an estimated 330,000 people.
Most snow in four years
From Saturday night, snow accumulated so rapidly that work to clear it from railway tracks could not keep up.
Precipitation radar map of Hokkaido for January 25
Japan’s Meteorological Agency says bands of developed snow clouds kept moving in towards Sapporo from Ishikari Bay.
The snow was around 60 centimeters deep in the city of Sapporo on Saturday night but rose suddenly to 112 centimeters by Sunday evening.
The last time the snow was over a meter deep in the city was in 2022.
Cars buried halfway-up in the snow
Effects on businesses
The heavy snowfall has also impacted logistics. A series of road closures were put in place on expressways around Sapporo, leading to delays in deliveries from distribution centers. Many items have reportedly still not reached recipients.
A supermarket deals with undelivered items on Monday
The president of a company managing supermarkets in the eastern city of Kushiro says that Sapporo and the central Doh-oh region are the heart of logistics on the island, and that delays in deliveries to other parts of Hokkaido are likely to continue for one or two days.
The supermarket posts this message: “Due to heavy snowfall, trucks are experiencing traffic disruption and have not been able to deliver goods…. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
JR suspends Sapporo train services
The Hokkaido Railway Company announced on Wednesday that all trains arriving at and departing from Sapporo Station after 9 p.m. will be suspended through Thursday, January 29.
The company says the measure is necessary to ensure sufficient time for snow clearing operations following the heavy snowfall that started on Saturday.
It is urging passengers to check detailed train operation information for routes between Sapporo and other parts of Hokkaido on its website and other official sources.
Railway company apologizes
The Hokkaido Railway Company apologizes for the train cancellations
Shimamura Shoshi, General Manager of The Hokkaido Railway Company’s operations headquarters, says that snow removal has not been carried out sufficiently since Monday, leading to repeated suspensions and delays.
He adds: “We are far from a situation where customers can use our services with peace of mind. We would like to secure the necessary time to carry out snow removal.”
Heavy snowfall again forecast for Sea of Japan coast
The situation could get worse this week not only for Hokkaido but also for other regions in Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the country is under the influence of a strong winter atmospheric pressure pattern.
Around noon on Wednesday, it was snowing on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido and on the mountains on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the mainland of Honshu.
Snow removal in Sapporo
Japanese weather officials say heavy snow could again hit areas mainly on the Sea of Japan coast, intensifying from the Tohoku region in the north through the Sanin region in the west from Thursday through Friday.
They also forecast up to 70 centimeters of snowfall in Niigata Prefecture and the Hokuriku region in 24 hours from Thursday morning. The Kinki region is forecast to have up to 50 centimeters. Heavier snowfall is also expected in the Tohoku region.
Officials are calling on people in areas already hit by a succession of heavy snow dumps to be mindful of possible traffic disruptions and accidents while removing snow.
People are also advised to take precautions against possible avalanches, power outages due to snow accumulation on electricity lines, as well as falling snow from roofs.
AloJapan.com