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Early snow and higher heating bills squeeze northern Japan

A pensioner couple cuts the thermostat as storm damage, icy roads and rising winter-tire prices complicate preparations for the cold.

Channel: ANNnewsCH ·

JapanStory of October 30, 2026Trari Newsroom

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今季一番の寒気で“冬の嵐”各地で事故　冬支度進むも…タイヤや灯油価格高騰に困惑【羽鳥慎一モーニングショー】(2026年10月29日)

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Wassamu's October-record snowfall brings fallen trees and power outages, while nearby residents shovel heavy, wet snow.
2:24The report describes injuries from a collapsed garage and a wind-related crane incident in Hokkaido.
4:48A crash survivor was still using summer tires; Asahikawa shops face crowded bookings and higher prices.
8:08Rising kerosene costs push residents toward store purchases, lower thermostat settings and extra window insulation.
11:35Nagaoka crews clear and adjust groundwater sprinklers used to melt snow on roads.
12:54Tokyo's strong seasonal winds accompany collapsed scaffolding and a fallen tree disrupting trains.

Nishimura keeps a notebook of every kerosene purchase: the date, the quantity and the price. At his home in Asahikawa, northern Japan, staying warm also means keeping the bathroom pipes from freezing. As fuel prices rise, he and his wife are turning down the heating and adding insulation to their windows.

Their household is at the center of a report from Japan's TV Asahi-operated All-Nippon News Network (ANNnewsCH), which follows the season's strongest cold air across the country on October 28. Snow and violent winds brought power outages, road accidents and damage before some residents had completed their winter preparations.

In Wassamu, on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, snow reached 12 centimeters, an October record according to the report. Trees came down and homes lost electricity. In Furano, a resident shoveling heavy, wet snow explained that the household's paid snow-removal contract did not begin until December.

The broadcast reports that a wind-blown garage collapsed in Otaru, injuring two men. In Date, it says a metal bar suspended from a crane struck a worker, who was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest.

Snow also disrupted roads around Sukayu in Aomori, where footage shows stranded buses and an overturned car. A driver interviewed after a separate Hokkaido crash said he lost control while still using summer tires. He had booked a winter-tire change, but the cold arrived before his appointment.

At an Asahikawa tire shop, specialist Takuya Iwabuchi says appointments are filled through the following weekend. Customers face higher prices as well as a wait. The report links those increases to more expensive rubber, transportation and labor, and attributes some raw-material pressures to disruption involving the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz.

Kerosene presents a recurring expense rather than a one-time purchase. Nishimura's household says its winter heating bill exceeds ¥40,000 a month, with several heaters needed around the house. His wife describes the cost as a serious concern for people living on pensions. They have lowered their thermostat from 22 to 19 degrees Celsius, put on more layers and fitted foam insulation at the windows. Other customers are bringing portable tanks to stores to avoid higher delivery prices.

In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, crews are clearing rust and sand from road sprinklers that use groundwater to melt snow. The report ends in Tokyo, where seasonal northerly winds accompanied collapsed scaffolding over parked cars and a fallen tree that temporarily stopped Keihin-Tohoku Line trains.