Japan: snow expected next week on Mount Fuji

TOKYO, 01 NOV – Snow is finally expected on Mount Fuji, the sacred mountain of Japan which has “suffered” the longest period in the last 130 years since the start of the autumn season without the appearance of the iconic white cap on its summit. The news, announced by the Japanese Meteorological Institute, specifies that on November 6, the rain – thanks to the cold air in the region south-west of Tokyo, will most likely turn into sleet. In 2023 the peak turned white for the first time on October 5, but this year Japan had the hottest summer on record, with temperatures between June and August 1.76 C above average. The heatwave eased slightly in October, the agency indicated, but it was still a warmer month than seasonal averages. The approach of November without snow therefore marks the longest wait of the year for snow cover along the crater since the first data were collected in 1894. At 3,776 metres, Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, and his image is often present in historical works of art, as well as on ukiyo-o, artistic prints printed on paper with wooden matrices. The volcano, whose last eruption dates back to just over 300 years ago, is generally visible from the Japanese capital on clear days.