First snow of winter arrives on Japan’s Mount Fuji five weeks late

Nov. 6 (UPI) — Snow fell on Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji on Wednesday, breaking the longest dry spell since records began atop the peak of the dormant volcano, which at 12,388 feet is the country’s highest mountain.

Famous for its virtually year-round snowcap, this fall the mountain remained snow-free well beyond the normal time the first flakes settle — Oct. 2 on average — until unconfirmed reports came in of a dusting of snow on the upper slopes overnight.

Takefumi Sakaki, an official from Fujiyoshida City at the base of Mt. Fuji said the city administration was unable to make a definite call on the presence of snow due to low clouds obscuring the view — but photos carried by local and national media do show what appears to be a snow topping on the volcano cone.

“This is the first time we haven’t seen snow on the mountain in November. Everyone feels strange not seeing snow in November,” said Sakaki.

If the overnight accumulation is verified, it would mark the latest date in the year that snowfall has been recorded since the Japan Meteorological Agency began taking readings in 1894. The previous record for the latest snow was Oct. 26, set almost 70 years ago in 1955.

This year and 2023 were Japan’s joint hottest summers on record with the warmth persisting well into what should be fall, pushing back the onset of colder weather and the snowfall it normally brings at higher elevations.

The average temperature at the summit over the past few weeks was above the freezing point at 1.6 degrees Celsius, the highest since temperature records started in 1932, instead of the subzero -2 degrees Celsius average seen in normal years.

Meteorological researcher Tomoki Tanaka told The New York Times that climate change was a factor in the late arrival of the snow without question, but that there were also other factors at play.

The mountain, which straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures southwest of Tokyo from where it is visible on a clear day, holds an important place in Japanese culture, inspiring world-renowned literature and art in which its snowcap is an ever-present feature.

Historically, the Shinto and Buddhist traditions held Mt. Fuji as an immovable symbol of permanence and immortality with its perpetually snowy peak, compared to other peaks, emphasizing its immutable grandeur regardless of weather or season.

The imagery of the snowcapped peak was also a potent nationalist symbol during the militarism of the first part of the 20th century and, more laterly, as an emblem through which the Japanese trace a consistent cultural thread back through their almost 1,500 year history.