Trains packed, flights cancelled as Tokyo gets first heavy snow alert in four years
The last time the alert was issued, in February 2014, Tokyo had 27 centimetres of snow
Japan’s weather agency Monday issued a heavy snow warning for Tokyo for the first time in four years, urging people to go home early amid fears of public transport chaos.
Scores of domestic flights departing from and arriving at the Japanese capital were scrapped due to the snow, while some regional trains were also cancelled.
Japan’s northern regions frequently see heavy blankets of snow but such weather is rare in Tokyo.
And with the snowfall expected to get heavier, Tsumoru Matsumoto, the agency’s chief forecaster, urged people to cut short their working day.
“There will be heavy snow this evening” in Tokyo, Matsumoto said, warning that “the snow is likely to affect public transport” when the evening commute begins.
