Fallen tree delays Tokyo trains as snow and gales hit Japan

The season's strongest cold spell brings unusually early snow to Aomori, damaging winds to Hokkaido and attraction closures in the capital.

Channel: Nippon TV News ·

JapanStory of October 29, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of 日テレNEWS's most watched videos since yesterday, with 136,839 views.

日テレNEWS: The news division of Nippon TV, a Japanese commercial television network. 3.4M subscribers and 6.3B views.

【今季一番の寒気】日本列島｢初雪ラッシュ｣関東でも初冠雪北海道では“台風並み”暴風で車庫倒壊など被害も

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Snow and powerful winds hit northern Japan, with Cape Erimo recording gusts above 42 meters per second.
1:17Hokkaido damage includes roofing striking cars and a collapsed garage that injured two men.
2:14Zao visitors encounter early snow and ice-coated trees; Aomori later records its first October snowfall since 2010.
4:11Kanto mountains receive first snow caps, followed by declarations of the season's first cold wind in Tokyo and Kinki.
5:24A fallen tree delays Tokyo trains, construction panels collapse in Chiba, and Arakawa Yuen suspends its attractions.
7:12Staff at Shinbashi's outdoor food fair add weights to keep tents secure in strong winds.

A tree blown onto railway tracks between Tokyo's Tabata and Kami-Nakazato stations delayed Keihin-Tohoku Line services as strong northerly winds spread the disruption from Japan's cold spell beyond its snowy northern regions.

Japan's Nippon Television News reports that the season's coldest air brought widespread first snowfalls and winds comparable in strength to a typhoon on October 28. Construction panels collapsed in neighboring Chiba, while Tokyo's Arakawa Yuen amusement park suspended all attractions because winds exceeded its safety limits. Visitors who had arrived for a day out were asked to get off rides and wait.

The most serious damage shown is in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. In Esashi, roofing torn loose by the wind struck cars. In Otaru, a garage collapsed and injured two men; the report's opening caption says a person was unconscious after being struck by a steel beam. Gusts at Cape Erimo reached about 42 meters per second.

Farther south, hail battered Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture, where damaged banners whipped in the wind. Reporter Yu Nakagawa encountered fine snow and ice-coated trees at Zao Ropeway's Juhyo Kogen Station, alongside tourists experiencing the sudden cold.

Aomori City recorded its first October snowfall since 2010, according to the report. Pedestrians described being caught off guard, including one who had not yet started using a heater. Snowplows were also shown at work, while mountains in the Kanto region around Tokyo received their first snow caps of the season.

Tokyo and the Kinki region recorded their first officially recognized cold seasonal wind, known as kogarashi ichigo. For Tokyo, it was the first October announcement in nine years.

At an outdoor regional food fair in Shinbashi, Tokyo, staff added extra weights to secure tents against the gusts. The report forecast that the cold would continue into October 29.