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Snow falls on sakura cherry blossoms in full bloom around Tokyo 【Photos & Videos】

Oona McGee Mar 30, 2020
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Surprise snowfall in Japan transformed springtime hanami into a winter wonderland on the weekend.

As the first month of spring comes to a close, the weather took an unseasonable turn on the weekend, with snow falling in Japan’s Kanto region, which encompasses Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a low pressure front passed through the area on the morning of 29 March, turning rain to snow in the region from dawn until just after midday. More than one centimetre of snow fell — something that hasn’t been observed in the city centre for 32 years.

https://twitter.com/saaaki69my/status/1244098741469982720

At this time of year, a lot of the country’s cherry blossoms are currently in or nearing full bloom, which made for some stunning white-and-pink-tinged landscapes as the snowflakes fell.

https://twitter.com/takayukky1/status/1244115220219326464

Photos and videos from the day revealed some gorgeous scenes, made even more poignant in the freezing snow as areas of Tokyo were unusually deserted. The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, asked everyone to stay indoors on the weekend to help flatten the curve of the country’s growing coronavirus outbreak.

雪と桜〜たまらん。#めちゃ雪 #雪桜 pic.twitter.com/k9rsZrKjDE

— アシタカ (@cocogahendayo) March 29, 2020

Meguro River is normally one of the city’s busiest hanami cherry blossom viewing spots, but the streets were quiet here as the snow fell.

#目黒川の桜　 #東京の雪 #雪桜

美しすぎて言葉を失う pic.twitter.com/sGxGFCkEsc

— bananafish_xx (@bananafish_xx) March 29, 2020

満開の桜と、雪が舞う目黒川。
めったに見られる景色ではないですね！#LumixS1R #目黒川監視員
※食料品の買い出し中に撮影 pic.twitter.com/c3tCru5kmU

— 池田泰延 (@clockmaker) March 29, 2020

▼ Tokyo Institute of Technology was equally deserted.

雪の中の満開の桜。冷静にエモすぎじゃね？ pic.twitter.com/7L7q9Vu9y5

— バッファロー神戸 (@buffalo_kanbe) March 29, 2020

▼ The walk along Nogawa River near Jindaiji in Tokyo’s Chofu looked like a movie set.

深大寺まで散歩した帰り、野川沿いの雪中桜。#花見 #雪桜 #東京雪 pic.twitter.com/89wz1eSOeI

— gaburu (@sinadome) March 29, 2020

Chidorigafuchi, the moat around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, is a popular sakura viewing spot that’s usually filled with boats at this time of year.

すでに雪は止んで、少し積もった雪もほぼ溶けてしまった。
止む前に散歩。雪桜なんて、なかなか撮れないから。同じことを思ったいいカメラ持った人たちがまあまあいらしてたけど、すれ違うこともほとんどなく。

#千鳥ヶ淵
 #雪桜 pic.twitter.com/WXTqAu8yhH

— pino (@pinocorin) March 29, 2020

Videos showed one of the most stunning visual effects to come from hanami cherry blossom viewing in the snow, as the snowflakes looked just like falling sakura petals.

https://twitter.com/suzuri69/status/1244086979270045698

なかなか見ることができない満開の桜と大粒な雪をスローでご堪能ください！

雪が花びらみたいで素敵じゃないですか？ pic.twitter.com/rbgiTjm4im

— じわり57 (@jiwari_57) March 28, 2020

満開の桜と雪を見るのは、一生に一度かもしれない pic.twitter.com/tXmRvKvZjs

— ゆず (@yuzuyuzu2017jan) March 29, 2020

早起きして良かった。#雪桜 pic.twitter.com/4KGIVfE5kU

— SYNCHRO-METAL™️STAY HOME (@metoma1971) March 29, 2020

▼ Slow-motion videos highlighted just how large the snowflakes were.

桜🌸と雪☃️
(スローモーションVer) pic.twitter.com/jkqVL00mcV

— ポカラン (@emeral27) March 29, 2020

雪と桜と新芽のハーモニー。
冬と春が交わる幻想的な光景ですね🌸❄️#雪桜 pic.twitter.com/fZlOzSPXta

— 大井克弘@5/30-6/2『徒花を飾る』 (@BluewingKatsu) March 29, 2020

The blossoms looked equally as stunning further out from Tokyo, at Kezoji Park in Gunma Prefecture…

雪桜撮ってきた🌸 pic.twitter.com/SYBbJFrdSQ

— 爆睡太郎 (@matomo9326) March 29, 2020

▼ And at Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture as well.

よかろう！？#雪桜と松本城 pic.twitter.com/FHUyN2UrHW

— 小笠原秀政🎎国宝松本城おもてなし隊【個人】 (@hidemasa_oga) March 28, 2020

Back in Tokyo, the trains kept running as usual in spite of the snow, with the Rinkai Line pictured below.

桜 × 雪 × りんかい線
スゲぇもん撮れたな pic.twitter.com/GxRKKQxK0y

— くまなん (@Section_Rapid) March 29, 2020

▼ The Musashino Line also ferried passengers through the snow.

武蔵野線の205系と桜を絡めての初撮影がまさか雪の中になるとは(^^; pic.twitter.com/Waqe2h9mZR

— 浜風 (@hamakazeB747) March 29, 2020

▼ On the Inokashira Line, the passing world looked like a scene from an anime movie.

井の頭線の車窓が満開の雪桜でした。https://t.co/HAtq2Dx6lV #雪桜 #雪景色 #井の頭線 pic.twitter.com/BTfDT20tMi

— miir (@miir10132116) March 29, 2020

The late March snowfall came a day after temperatures reached a balmy 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo. While the dramatic change in temperature created some beautiful scenes in and around the city, it was also a powerful motivator for many to stay home, making it easy for people to heed the government’s request to refrain from large hanami gatherings and Koike’s call for people to avoid non-essential outings.

Here’s hoping people will be able to stay indoors without any prompting from the weather in future, as Japan now enters a critical phase in containing the outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of dozens in Japan, including Japanese comedian Ken Shimura.

Sources: Twitter/#雪桜
Featured image: Twitter/@matomo9326
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