130 Shrine Visitors in Japan Unable to Return Home Due to Snow; Shrine Located 1,000 Meters Up Mountain

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:54 JST, January 3, 2026

About 130 people were forced to spend the night on the grounds and parking lot of a shrine in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, from Friday to Saturday after a nearby road was closed due to snow, the prefectural government said.

According to the prefecture, a 9-kilometer section of the road, which is managed by the prefecture, was closed to traffic from 7:30 p.m. on Friday after it froze.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, about 20 vehicles were still stranded at Mitsumine Shrine, which is located at an altitude of over 1,000 meters.

As of 1 p.m., there was no indication of when the road closure would be lifted.

About 50 vehicles, including tourist buses and passenger cars, were unable to descend the mountain from the shrine.

Visitors took refuge in the dining hall and a hall within the shrine grounds, according to the shrine, which also said it provided meals.

No one has reported feeling unwell so far.