http://news.yahoo.com/five-dead-600-injured-snow-storm-hits-japan-020500454.html
Below is a reprinting of that article:
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Tokyo (AFP) - The heaviest snow
in decades in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has left at least 11 dead
and more than 1,200 injured across the country, reports said Sunday.
As much as 27 centimetres (10.6 inches) of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, the heaviest fall in the capital for 45 years, according to meteorologists.
Observers say the weather may affect voter turnout in the city of 13 million people. As of 6:00 pm (0900 GMT) turnout was down more than 10 percentage points from a previous poll during the last mayoral election.
As a depression moved along the Pacific coast Saturday, the northeastern city of Sendai saw 35 centimetres (13.8 inches) of snow, the heaviest in 78 years.
Local media said at least 11 people have been killed with one person also in critical condition in snow-linked accidents -- mostly crashes after their cars skidded on icy roads.
In central Aichi
prefecture, a 50-year-old man died after his car slipped on the icy road
and rammed into an advertisement steel pole, a local rescuer said.
Public
broadcaster NHK reported at least 1,253 people were injured across the
nation, many of whom had slipped on the ground or fallen while
shovelling the snow off their roofs.
More
than 20,000 households were without electricity early Sunday while
airlines cancelled more than 400 domestic flights a day after over 740
flights were grounded.
Nearly 5,000 people were stranded at Narita
airport Saturday as traffic linking the airport to the capital was
disrupted, NHK said.
Further snowfall is expected Sunday in the northern part of the country, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
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Nearly a week later, on Valentine's Day, came another record day of snowfall. According to CNN, at least nineteen people died in snow-related incidents that day:
Nearly a week later, on Valentine's Day, came another record day of snowfall. According to CNN, at least nineteen people died in snow-related incidents that day:
Feb 14 was chaotic in Tokyo, mainly because the trains were all behind schedule. It seems the train conductors here are unused to driving in this kind of precipitation and were consequently cautious and slow-moving. The stations were immensely crowded all day. Here are some pics:
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| Hachiko in the snow |
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| Hachiko in the snow |
Yesterday, I went to the supermarket and was in for a surprise. A great deal of the shelves were almost empty. I asked one of the stock clerks, a guy who looked to be in his late teens, if the reason for the empty shelf space was the snow. He responded "Sou desu ne! Snow desu. Yuki no sei." (Basically, "Yes, it's the snow! It's the snow's fault." He went on to apologize for the lack of meat available. He was incredibly emotional in his sympathy. Seemed like a nice guy.
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| the cupboards were bare |
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| the cupboards were bare |
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| the cupboards were bare |
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