This winter's earliest snowfall has been observed on two mountains in Daisetsuzan National Park, local cable car operators said Thursday.
Snow fell on the 1,984-meter Mount Kurodake at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, marking the earliest seen since 1974, when the cable car operator first began recording snowfalls, they said.
Snow was seen accumulating on top of the 2,290-meter Mount Asahidake, Hokkaido's highest mountain, Thursday morning, but the snowfall is not official because a local weather station could not observe it due to thick clouds.
"Tourists come down as soon as they go up because it's cold up there," said an official of the cable car operator on Mount Asahidake. "I'm worried about the blossoming of autumn flowers and how the coloring of autumn leaves will turn out."