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11 dead, 1,253 injured after snow

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Be safe everyone!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Actually 601 injured. The wife said to me at 7pm, "Go to the conbini and get a bottle of wine." I said, "But it's a once in a decade blizzard out there!" She said "So?" I went, got the wine, then slipped on the way back and broke my finger. When I got back she asked, "Did you get white?" I said, "No..." She said, "Why not?"

3 ( +7 / -4 )

The next few days are gonna be hell in Tokyo with a lot more injuries to come. Many of the trains are still not running or running on irregular schedules. The snow banks shovelled up by the sides of the roads are 2-3m high in some places. At least it's a nice sunny and warm day today to start the thaw. Take it easy people!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

You know, we read about people falling off roofs in snow storms and typhoons many, many times a year. Can't a nation like Japan, with its brilliance in terms of certain inventions (some the opposite, of course), come up with some kind of simple safety belt you can strap to somewhere if you're going to go up on the roof?

Even with driver's training as to what to do when slipping/fish-tailing on the road when you hit a patch of black ice or snow, I doubt there's a lot you could do on the narrow and often packed roads here, but people do need training in that area. As it is, it sounds like some of the accidents were the result of people trying to slam on the breaks when they hit snow/ice.

Be careful, peeps. Looks like this week is going to be pretty cold as well.

-9 ( +6 / -14 )

With 'Global Warming' clearly not happening anymore (since around 2006), I hope there is still enough money around to figure out how we are going to deal with a cooling planet. This cooling cycle is expected to continue to around 2030. Clearly Tokyo and most parts of Japan don't even have snow clearing/removal budgets in place so imagine the paradigm shift of going from thinking we are making the planet too hot to what should we do now?

-13 ( +2 / -15 )

With 'Global Warming' clearly not happening anymore

Tough for the simple minded to get their heads around the concept of warmer oceans leading to more violent and extreme weather but it is a fact. Here's a "one point advice" to start your brain clicking "today's weather is not a climate"

9 ( +11 / -2 )

smithinjapan - I know what roads turn into when no one has a clue how to drive in icy and (to them) insane conditions. You can't expect a large populous of commuters to suddenly remember how to navigate black ice in places where that shouldn't happen. Just because you know not to slam on the brakes and steer out of a skid doesn't mean the 40,000 other drivers do. It's a clusterwonder, and it is.

KnowBetter - I hope you're being sarcastic, because global warming doesn't mean the WEATHER PATTERNS are going warmer, it means we've hooped the planet and now we get tidal increases and strange weather patterns.

ssenipah - Yes. Exactly. And it's not just going to disappear.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

moussajinx:

" it means we've hooped the planet and now we get tidal increases and strange weather patterns "

No. It means we (i.e. our politicians) have found a convenient way to extract more taxes get more funds for all sorts of schemes in the name of "global warming".

Fact ist, weather patterns have always been strange, tides have always increased and decresed; continue at will. The only think constant about the climate is that it changes. The idea that the "climate" is controlled by the 0.03% CO2 content of the atmosphere, of which about about only 1% is man-made has always been ludicrious.

-12 ( +0 / -12 )

I never knew there was only one "route" from Narita to Tokyo. Since that line was covered in snow, a large number of people were stranded at Narita. Surely they would have back up plans, such as a convoy of buses to transport people?

Is a subway viable?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

ssenipah wrote: Tough for the simple minded to get their heads around the concept of warmer oceans leading to more violent and extreme weather but it is a fact. Here's a "one point advice" to start your brain clicking "today's weather is not a climate"

Clearly the 'simple minded' would not have noticed that it was sarcasm and hence you've proven a point, just not yours but don't worry you're not alone based on the 'bad thumbs down' which clearly shows the state of dumb out there.

'moussajinx' glad you caught the sarcasm however you missed the point. The arrogance of mankind to actually think they have caused this damage all in the span of what?!? 70, 80, 90 years? Humans were a non factor in every GREAT GLOBAL 'climate change' before but I'm sure some 'tards out there would feel prefectly fine blaming the Flintstones for their part with farming and the dinosaurs they kept which clearly raised CO2 levels and don't even get me started on the methane levels from all those dino turds.

This weather has NOT happened for 45 years in Tokyo so what do you blame it on 45 years ago? Or was that not normal either and what do you blame that on 45 years ago. Could this all just be the earth going through cycles?

You know what has happened which clearly ties in with the fear spread that we must believe it is us that have caused this GLOBAL WARMING?!? The internet, social media, these forums, instant world wide access to doom and freaking gloom. That's why 80% of you feel that more bad weather is occurring or whatever maybe your 'flavour of the month' to dwell on. Most of you might not even be old enough to remember life without the internet so PLEASE tell me how you can even remember the weather over the last 40 or so years?

All around the planet at least where there is a winter like season, there has been colder weather this 2013/14 winter season however this weather is nothing new from between 30 to 75 years ago. How is this worse when it was like this before? Long, long before? And some talk about 'simple minded'. Clearly, we know the Al Gore sales pitch worked on you, the simple minded...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

People around the world wonder what's going on when they see Japanese commuting during really bad weather (especially big typhoons). Japanese are too inflexible about work. I'm expected to show up at work regardless of the ferocity of the weather. Luckily, my area isn't affected by this snowstorm.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Sunday, we got English students from Okinawa all the way up to Hokkaido, at good old Eki Mae Ryugaku, so the tough ones like me, braved the cold wind and snow and ice and gave our Japanese students great English and other language lessons today!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Pretty sad to read such news.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Now we have a new problem. The snow piled up is melting onto the roads in the day and freezing at night. Its damned slippery out there. Watch it trying to stop for red lights!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@knowbetter

Clearly Tokyo and most parts of Japan don't even have snow clearing/removal budgets in place so imagine the paradigm shift of going from thinking we are making the planet too hot to what should we do now?

You answered it yourself when there were warning on the JT that Tokyo should prepare for snowfall. Although you didn't believe to new ice age a month ago:-)

KnowBetterJan. 12, 2014 - 10:39PM JST So which is it now?!? Are we going to burn to a crisp here on earth or are we going to freeze to death as this NEW ice age begins? The media just loves this crap and can't sell enough of it. Snow is snow and if people just used some common sense, they can easily deal with it. If you, as most of us living in an earthquake zone, have your emergency 72 hour kit at the ready then if you get stuck at home when the power goes out due to a horrific snowfall, you should be prepared. Unless so much of the stuff falls and it's really wet and heavy, your house will fair much better than during a quake and you'll have plenty of things to talk about with your neighbours as you plow the snow out of the way. Relax,... winters used to be like this and some people had to walk to school in a metre of snow, 15 kms, uphill, BOTH WAYS or so the stories go.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Surely they would have back up plans, such as a convoy of buses to transport people?

Buses and even taxis are of few use when the necessary streets are closed. And, ... it was not only people trying to get away FROM Narita but also the other way around.

I probably would be in a warm tropical spot by now IF I could have gotten to Narita somehow. But the only kind taxi driver who cared to stop at Shinjuku station's "Taxi" sign explained that it would take more than four hours and about 300 bucks to get there :/.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Sounds like a bit of the weather we've been experiencing for the last 3 months in most of North America, with no end in sight! Could Global Warming be precipitating the next Ice Age? Stay warm, don't go out unless you have to, and be extra careful everyone.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

praying for Japan! too many HUGE natural disasters happening to it!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Finally, Karuizawa draped into her white winter coat, I was getting tired of the cold weather without any snow, also it did give me the chance to hike easily into forests, no snow and no bears, best combination. It seemed strange to have all the highways reopen in one day inside the mountains, but most of Kanto-area still closed, can't they just drive some of the machinery down after cleaning is finished up here? Anyway it was business as usual here mostly, with only the amateur drivers from outside slowing down the traffic. 35 cm of white fluffy powder snow - love it!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah more injuries will come now that the roads r all icy. The kids from a nearby high school were shovelling snow to clear the roads in the neighborhood yesterday. Passersby, including myself, were all very thankful to them!Pls be safe everyone!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As much as 27 centimeters of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday,

I am without tremendous sympathy coming back to the states with a foot of snow and having to drive everyday on dangerous roads but feeling fortunate to have made it to Narita Airport by mid afternoon Saturday. At that time flights and trains were cancelled while there was at most 2-3 inches on the ground in Tokyo.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I was so tired to get to the university to take exam. I can't believe why it snowed so much.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's not that cold and it's not that much snow. With the speed limits in Japan, it amazes me that people are dying from hitting a pole at those speeds. Now , you should be wearing you seat belts. Generally speaking, you do not what to do anything when you hit black ice other than take the foot off the gas. Once you clear the ice you can turn or break but you really don't want to be doing that on black ice. You should be driving so fast anyway. Loved driving in the snow when I was younger. Ice, that's different, can't do much on ice. Did do 4 360s once, not intentionally but you can't drive that fast in Japan. So enjoy it for it will be all gone in a week or so. As for the kind of weather the states have been experiences, that was a polar vortex where the cold in the arctic decides to come down with the jet stream. But they do say the poles may be re-adjusting so you never know it this may not become permanent.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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