First flakes on Mount Fuji. Never before had the symbol of Japan remained without even a dusting of snow until November. At least it had never happened since recordings began 130 years ago. The first flakes were expected in October and instead, reports the BBC, they were only 'intercepted' yesterday by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Then today, when the clouds finally gave way to a view of the summit, confirmation came from the agency's offices in Kofu.
And it was immediately a 'celebration'. On X, many shared images of the snow-capped peak. The one just passed was Japan's hottest summer since records began, matching a record from 2023. Mount Fuji, 3,776 meters high, is usually covered in snow for most of the year, except for the weeks between July and September. The summit usually starts to turn white around October 2. In 2023, the AFP agency recalled in recent days, the first flakes fell on October 5. In 1955 and 2016, they were not seen until October 26.
