A surge of cold air brought record heavy snow, mainly along the Sea of Japan side from northern Japan through the Kinki region. In central Tokyo, where the chill deepened, the low by 6:00 a.m. on the 28th was minus 1.6°C—a winter day (a day when the minimum stays below 0°C) for a third straight day. Three consecutive winter days in December in central Tokyo last occurred in 1976, fully 45 years ago.
The severe cold is expected to linger through the daytime, but the sky is almost cloudless: a crystal-clear winter fine day. Dry, cold air means very little water vapor, so visibility stretches far. From the building’s roof, snow-capped Mount Fuji stood out sharply. This cold wave is said to have dropped the summit below minus 30°C for the first time this season.
Please take care not to fall ill in the year-end cold, and have a good New Year.