Chaos in the Capital: Photos of Record Snowfall in Tokyo · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Captions: “Live from Shibuya Station”, record-breaking snowfall. 23 centimeters expected to fall in Tokyo Metropolitan area. Screencap from ANN YouTube channel.
At least one foot (30 centimeters) of snow accumulated in the Tokyo region over the weekend and into Monday, January 22. This is the most significant snowfall in Tokyo since 2014. Although this rare weather event shut down transportation networks, it also provided terrific photo opportunities for the nine million residents of Japan's capital region.
2017.1.22
東京に大雪が降ったという記録をしました。 pic.twitter.com/yHo1fr2dHj
— ばっしー〈写真垢〉 (@_Ay1_i3_) January 22, 2018
A record-breaking amount of snow has fallen in Tokyo.
The Asakusa neighborhood on the east side of Tokyo, a tourist area home to the famous Senso-ji Temple, offered some particularly spectacular snapshots.
大雪の日は浅草が絵になる＼(^o^)／#雪 #浅草 #浅草寺 pic.twitter.com/IOshwV2w7V
— だいし (@daishi_xxiv) January 22, 2018
When it snows out Asakusa becomes just like a painting. ＼(^o^)／  #snow #asakusa #asakua_temple
On the other side of the city, one Twitter user snapped a surreal scene in Shinjuku:
Schnow + Shinjuku neon lights = ❤️❄️? pic.twitter.com/uSnKWNYkhs
— Shiverz 尻尾 (@ReddKlaw) January 22, 2018
Even Godzilla made an appearance:
蒼生ちゃん、こんばんは?
雪が好きなだけあって、いい笑顔ですね～ さすがに雪だるま☃️は作らなかったかな？ゴジラも雪だるまに…? 明日の朝は滑りやすいので気を付けてね? pic.twitter.com/VDmlUWa8G6
— ボンズ (@2016everlasting) January 22, 2018
[…] I love snow, it makes me smile. While I wasn't able to make a snowman, here's a snow-Godzilla. It's going to be slippery tomorrow, so watch out!
For Tokyo residents who are not used to the snow, the weather was mainly a pain. The heaviest snows fell on Monday evening at rush hour.
首都圏では、
夕方から夜にかけてが大雪のピーク。
帰宅時間と重なり大混乱です。
明日朝の通勤・通学時間帯も
影響は残るのでしょうか？
各地から雪の様子を生中継。
今後のお天気もたっぷり解説します。
『NEWS23 』は今夜１１時から#news23 #大雪警報 #帰宅命令 #大雪の影響 #皆川玲奈 pic.twitter.com/sE9dKhUlYn
— news23 (@news23_tbs) January 22, 2018
Peak snowfall will occur in early evening in the Tokyo Metropolitan area during the evening commute, causing chaos. Will the snow affect the morning commute tomorrow? We're providing live updates from different locations about the snow. Please tune in tonight for a detailed weather forecast.
The heavy snowfall essentially shut down the network of expressways and toll roads throughout central Tokyo, bringing traffic to a standstill.
首都高のトンネル大変な事になっていたのね…今日は子供が学校行事でお台場方面にバスで行くけど、首都高乗れるのかなぁ…下道も大渋滞だろうし、夕方電話したら先生は行く気満々だった(・・;)大丈夫か？ pic.twitter.com/6eKDxxcsbe
— ちゃんゅ (@chanyu31) January 22, 2018
Conditions in the tunnels on the Shuto Expressway are terrible. Today we were planning to go on a school trip to Odaiba on the expressway but I wonder if the buses are running. The city streets are also probably crammed with traffic.
When I phoned the teacher last night s/he still seemed excited to go [to Odaiba]  (・・;)
Is it going to be all right?
After traffic was stalled in some tunnels for more than five hours, fears of exhaust gas buildup forced many motorists and passengers to abandon their vehicles and escape.
ブログ更新しました！ 時事速 : 【悲惨】首都高･山手トンネル、5時間以上たってもトンネルから出られず…排ガスが充満し非常口に向かう人多数 https://t.co/hZw6JpbjZi pic.twitter.com/yXR8WClcgc
— 時事速 (@daieto4194) January 22, 2018
After being stopped for more than five hours in the Yamate Tunnel, tons of people headed for the emergency exits because of building exhaust fumes.
About 50 cars stuck on Rainbow Bridge due to heavy snow pic.twitter.com/qg7FFdhAuk
— Thoton Akimoto (@Thoton) January 22, 2018
Tokyo residents, who are generally unused to snowy conditions, had to be reminded about how to prepare for the weather.
【ニュース特設：大雪情報】大雪となっている関東甲信の平野部では、あす朝は、各地で氷点下の冷え込みが予想されています。歩行中の転倒事故や車のスリップ事故に十分な注意が必要です。https://t.co/VSn5gVe3hH pic.twitter.com/ShgeAz9S16
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) January 22, 2018
Because of snowfall accumulations on the Kanto Plain, slippery conditions are expected tomorrow morning. Please take care when walking to avoid slips and spills, or car accidents.
Some Twitter users poked fun at the shock and surprise caused by the unexpected winter snowfall in Tokyo.
Livecam Tokyo like right this second https://t.co/GrKlLOkLui
— Matt Alt (@Matt_Alt) January 22, 2018
Residents from parts of Japan where heavy snowfall is quite common also commented on the chaos in the capital. This Twitter user posted a photo from the mountain city of Aizu, in snowy Fukushima, to the northeast of Tokyo:
首都圏の電車はだいぶ遅れがでて大変なようですが、会津鉄道は今日も平常運転です。 pic.twitter.com/zRiAtwYOnN
— ししょう (@Kazutti0426) January 22, 2018
While the trains are probably running behind, causing disruption in Tokyo, the Aizu Railroad is right on schedule today.
Another Tokyo resident pointed out why snowfall might be a big deal in Tokyo:
“Lol Tokyo sucks at snow compared to my city X,” where X is a place that (a) regularly sees weather like this, (b) spends a big chunk of its budget on snow-plowing, and (c) has maybe 1/100 of the commuters of this sprawling mess.
A post shared by  Peter Durfee (@durf) on