Monday 29 January 2018

2018 Tokyo Snow Scene: Tokyo Station

Snow-capped Tokyo Station

It is the coldest season in Japan. The mountains block the cold and wet wind blowing from the northwest. It causes heavy snow to fall on the Japan Sea side. Only dry air then comes to the Pacific side including Tokyo. It stays fine every day in Tokyo. Indeed it may be so, but it is not so always. Once a low-pressure system approaches the Pacific side, Tokyo also experiences snowfall. 

On Monday, January 22nd, a strong low-pressure system hit the Pacific side. We saw 23 cm of snow, which was the heaviest snowfall in 4 years. It started around noon and increased in intensity. Many offices and shops were closed so that the commuters flocked to stations to go home. I was also one of them. My train was very crowded even in the daytime. To make matters worse, the train was delayed. It took one hour and a half to home, although it usually takes 40 minutes.

It was clear the next day. I took a picture of snow-capped Tokyo Station from my office. The roofs of the platforms were covered by the uniform whiteness. That was certainly a different world, but the snow had melted away by that evening. It was like a dream.

In the meantime, I found that construction of the station square was completed on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. It consists of a plaza, a taxi pool and a bus stop. Please compare with the former state of things on my previous post.

Night view of Tokyo Station