The Tokyo area's first snow of the winter fell Wednesday. The Meteorological Agency said the snowfall came four days earlier than usual and two days later than last year's. By later in the day, the snow had given way to rain.
Dozens of people braved cold winds to worship at Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, as part of their preparations for the new year.
The agency said the temperature fell to 4.9 on Wednesday in Tokyo.
In eastern Japan, the first snow also fell on Yokohama; Chiba; Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture; Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture; and Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, it said.
In the western regions, Nara experienced its first snow this year. Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture, witnessed its first snow on the summit of its volcano, the agency said.
A low-pressure front moving northeast off the coast of Shikoku brought the first snow of the season to these regions, it said.
The agency said the sky over Tokyo and the surrounding region facing the Pacific will be clear Thursday.
