Heavy snow is continuing to hit areas of northern Japan. As of 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, snow accumulation reached 126 centimeters in Nishiwaga Town, the inland, mountainous area of Iwate Prefecture. That's more than four times the usual snowfall at this time of year.
According to the local publication HKN, 13 people were injured due to the bad weather conditions.
The snowfall stopped the traffic on many strategically important roads and highways, dozens of cars were blocked and stuck in the snow. According to local meteorologists, the average snow accumulation throughout the region reached nearly 100 centimeters. Some footage from the scene showed that snow blanketed everything - some parked vehicles are almost invisible.
Japanese people are busy clearing snow in front of their homes and shops.