Heavy Snowfall on Sea of Japan Side; Kanazawa, Shiga Blanketed in White

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:40 JST, January 22, 2026

Heavy snow fell from Wednesday night through Thursday morning along the Sea of Japan side from northern Japan to the Chugoku region due to a strong winter-type pressure pattern.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued heavy snow advisories for Ishikawa Prefecture on Wednesday night and Shiga Prefecture early Thursday morning. The strong winter-type pressure pattern is expected to stay until around Sunday.

　The 24-hour total snowfall up to 9 a.m. Thursday reached 68 cm in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, and 57 cm in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture. Snow depths at 9 a.m. reached 20cm, 286% of the average, in Kanazawa and 28cm, 933% of the average, in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture.

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated at reduced speeds from its first service Thursday between Gifu-Hashima and Kyoto Stations, resulting in delays of over 30 minutes.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as of 7:00 a.m. Thursday, sections of seven expressways nationwide—including the Hokuriku Expressway and Meishin Expressway—along with multiple national highways running through Gifu and Shiga prefectures, remain closed to traffic.