Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji received its first snowfall of the season on Thursday, 21 days later than the typical early-October arrival. The light snow dusting was visible from Kofu, located about 40 km from the mountain, after temperatures near the peak dropped below freezing overnight.
This delayed snow follows an unusually hot summer, with record-breaking temperatures across Japan. The nationwide average summer temperature was 2.36°C above normal, and Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture reached a record 41.8°C in early August. The Japanese Meteorological Agency reported at least 30 days with temperatures over 40°C, nearly double the previous record of 17 in 2018, resulting in over 100,000 hospitalizations for heatstroke.
Typically, Mount Fuji’s first snowcap is announced when it becomes visible from the Kofu meteorological office, a tradition maintained for over a century. While this year’s first snow is later than usual, it still arrived earlier than last year’s record-late snow on 7 November, the latest in 130 years of observation.
Experts attribute the delayed snow to global warming and changing seasonal patterns, with extended summer heat affecting rainfall and snowfall. Rising land and sea temperatures, combined with warmer westerly winds and the Kuroshio current, are contributing to warmer autumns and shorter springs. Studies show Japanese summers have lengthened by about three weeks between 1982 and 2023.
Professor Yoshihiro Iijima of Tokyo Metropolitan University warned that if global warming continues, Japan could face effectively only two seasons within 30 years. He noted, “We’ve broken records for three years in a row and this is an extremely worrying trend.”
Mount Fuji remains a major attraction, with around 200,000 hikers attempting the summit annually between July and September. It is also a sacred site for Shinto and Buddhist pilgrims, featuring a shrine dedicated to the mountain goddess Konohanasakuya-hime.
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