By SHOKO RIKIMARU/ Staff Writer
December 5, 2025 at 12:10 JST
The snow-covered Shirakawago area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, on Dec. 4 (Yasumasa Kikuchi)
The season’s first substantial snowfall blanketed many areas around Japan as a mass of cold air typical of midwinter flowed over the country, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
From the early hours of Dec. 3 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 4, Hinoemata in Fukushima Prefecture recorded 56 centimeters of snow--seven times the seasonal average--while the Sukayu district in Aomori city received 51 cm.
Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture, which includes the Shirakawago area, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for “Gassho-zukuri” (traditional steep-roofed) houses, reported 19 cm of snowfall.
Nineteen cities nationwide received their first snowfalls of the season, including Utsunomiya, Nagoya and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The peak of snowfall from this cold front appears to have passed, the agency said.
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