This content was published on January 25, 2023 – 09:18
(AFP)
Onlookers and tourists were entertained this Wednesday by photographing temples and shrines covered in snow in Japan, after heavy rain that killed one and caused serious transport problems.
“These are the lowest temperatures we have seen in a decade,” Takafumi Umeda, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), told AFP.
The agency warned of the risk of large waves along coasts and the formation of ice sheets on roads, which is dangerous for movement.
According to government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, one person died from the cold. Authorities are investigating two other deaths linked to the weather conditions.
Hundreds of flights were canceled and trains were canceled or delayed due to the blizzard. Traffic jams on the highways were equally numerous.
Away from these tremors, at Zenkoji Temple in the mountain city of Nagano (center), visitors were delighted by the spectacle of snow. The same picture was also seen in Kyoto, the former imperial capital with a rich historical heritage.
“I came to ski, but the snow was so thick that I changed my schedule and decided to do some sightseeing,” Akiko Sotobori in Nagano told AFP.
At the ski resort, “the storm was such that I couldn’t see anything beyond three metres,” he says.
The capital Tokyo and its periphery were protected from snow, although it was colder than normal.
