Tokyobling's Blog

Second Snowstorm Over Tokyo

Posted in Nature, Places by tokyobling on February 15, 2014

Yesterday from morning to midnight we had a second big snowfall over Tokyo. It is said that we got about 10cm but looking out of my window the morning after I think it was a lot more in some places. I was out and about in the early evening around Aoyama and Omotesando and luckily I had my camera. Both me and my camera were thoroughly soaked after a few minutes in the snow and I had to stop in doorways every few meters just to wipe of the lens as it got covered in snow within seconds. As usual though the subways were doing well but hundreds of flights were cancelled, the shinkansen trains ran on reduced speeds and several highways were closed. It seems that we will be blessed with interesting weather this year!

The AO Building in Aoyama looked great in the snow (here are some photos of it in daylight and here are some at night), whereas Omotseando came out even rougher in the storm (compare with these photos from last December). The Taro Okamoto statue outside of the Kodomo no Shiro building in Aoyama looked regal, I have blogged about one of his paintings before, The Myth of Tomorrow which was featured in a very good Internet hoax).

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23 Responses

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  1. Cathryn said, on February 15, 2014 at 5:05 am

    Love the red umbrella photo!

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  2. TheCrazyBagLady said, on February 15, 2014 at 5:15 am

    o wow! Hopefully the planes will be able to land! I go tonight!!!

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  3. dragonlife said, on February 15, 2014 at 5:35 am

    We saw that on TV! Rough times here in Eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, too although it was only heavy rain in Shizuoka City!

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    • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 12:21 am

      I heard that from friends, it seems that Yamanashi prefecture just north of you got all your snow and then some! (^-^;)

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  4. tokyoaaron said, on February 15, 2014 at 7:35 am

    Your pictures really capture the feel of yesterday’s storm in The City. For me, the torii gate and the red umbrella photos are stand outs.

    BTW, I agree that it certainly looked and felt like more than 10cm, though perhaps the wind blowing the snow into banks and drifts exaggerated how much actually fell.

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    • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 12:24 am

      Thank you for the kind comment Aaron! Yes, it certainly seemed like much more, but it didn’t stay on as long. And now they tell us we might get more snow on Wednesday and Thursday. This February is turning out to be quite interesting!

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  5. […] By the way, I took the photo above last night, around eight o’clock or so, outside Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi. For more, better pictures of storm scenes around town, check out Tokyobling’s blog post ‘Second Storm Over Tokyo’. […]

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  6. Charly Senall said, on February 15, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    Magnificent reportage!!! Is it very common for snow in Tokyo?
    Greetings.

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    • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 12:25 am

      Thank Charly! For the last decade at least we have gotten one day of proper snow per year in Tokyo, so having two days with this amount of snow is practically unheard of. Very interesting weather indeed! (^-^)

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  7. Timi said, on February 15, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    Wow, these times are when it’s the best to stay inside in the warm with some hot tea or chocolate! Thanks for the great pics! (Although that second picture’s statute is kinda freaky:D)

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    • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 12:30 am

      Thank you for the kind comment Timi! I did indeed hurry home to bury myself under warm blankets after taking a long hot bath! (^-^;)

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  8. Dina Farmer said, on February 17, 2014 at 2:06 am

    Love the red umbrella shot!! Hope it stops soon! Oh my! It’s not like what’s going on in the States right now but wow! Still so crazy to see so much snow in Tokyo!

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    • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 2:17 am

      Thank you Dina! (^-^) Nothing compared to the snow you guys are a having! But still, a big thing for this city…! (^-^;)

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      • Dina Farmer said, on February 17, 2014 at 2:51 am

        Oh not me! Buhahaha it’s been so hot! Like 88F! I live in the desert right now. It’s super duper hot. I feel bad for many of my friends on the East Coast right now.

        This is of course indicative of what our summer will be like this year blistering hot and no water…..

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        • tokyobling said, on February 17, 2014 at 2:55 am

          You should make really good friends with some nice couple in Vermont and emigrate there for half the year…. (^-^)

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  9. C said, on February 21, 2014 at 1:27 am

    What I would have done for snowshoes on Saturday! I think that much snow just overwhelmed everyone. People gave up shoveling sidewalks and it was pretty much impossible to walk anywhere.

    With all the flight chaos, I was allowed to change mine without cost. A bonus week in Japan to make up for being sick, and a bonus to see snow twice in a year! That’s almost a record 🙂

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