A city in Niigata Prefecture, known for its abundant snowfall every year, was planning to send snow to soccer stadiums and other facilities to be used at this year's Tokyo Olympic Games to tackle the heat.
But amid record low snowfall this season, the city of Minamiuonuma's plan is now in jeopardy. According to the Meteorological Agency, in the regions of Kanto, Tokai and Hokuriku, which includes Niigata, the amount of snow was only 15 percent of what they experience in January compared to an average year.
"I don't recall ever having this little amount of snow during this season," Mutsumi Seki, a Minamiuonuma official, said with a sigh while looking at a near-empty storage space for snow near a ski resort.