Heavy snow leaves more than 300 vehicles stranded in western Japan
(Mainichi Japan)
TOTTORI -- Western Japan, in particular areas by the Sea of Japan, experienced heavy snowfall between late Jan. 23 and early Jan. 24, stranding hundreds of people in vehicles as wintry atmospheric pressure systems continued to linger.
Heavy snow struck mountainous regions of Tottori Prefecture, and by the early hours of Jan. 24, more than 300 vehicles could not be moved at all. At 4:10 a.m. Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai asked the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to deploy a disaster-support team.
In the town of Chizu, Tottori Prefecture, 106 centimeters of snowfall was recorded as of 8 a.m. on Jan. 24 -- the highest ever level observed in the town in the month of January.
According to the Tottori Prefectural Government, 204 vehicles were left stranded on highway route 373 within the town of Chizu by 5 a.m. on Jan. 24, and the line of stranded vehicles extended for more than 4 kilometers.
From the evening of Jan. 23 until the following day, around 100 stranded drivers stayed temporarily in two municipal buildings in the town. Sixty-one Self-Defense Forces members are assisting in snow removal.
The 66-year-old driver of one tour bus returning to Osaka from the Kaike Hot Springs took a detour on a regular road through Chizu after the Yonago Expressway, which connects Tottori and Okayama prefectures, was closed, but the snow got thick and at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 23, it became difficult for large vehicles to pass, leaving the bus stranded.
One 26-year-old man who spent the night in his vehicle appeared exhausted. "It was cold and I couldn't sleep," he said. "I want them to quickly restore things.
Some residents along route 373 lent their bathrooms to people in vehicles. Residents also cooperated to hand out rice balls and other food.
Residents have also faced trouble. On the morning of Jan. 24, 67-year-old Akemi Tanaka called the town office saying that her husband was unwell and needed help, but didn't get the response she was looking for. Her 67-year-old husband Naoyuki receives dialysis treatment at a hospital in Tottori located about 30 kilometers away from their home three times a week, but nearly 1 meter of snow was piled up outside their home and she couldn't get their vehicle out.
"I've lived in Chizu for over 40 years, but this is the first time for me to see such a large snowfall," she said.
On the Yonago Expressway, vehicles between the Kofu and Hiruzen interchanges stopped moving at about 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 and at one point as many as 70 vehicles were stranded.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said that 13 sections on seven expressways including the Hanwa Expressway and the San-in Expressway, spanning a total of 284 kilometers, were closed to traffic as of 6 a.m. on Jan. 24. Nine sections on national routes, including in Tottori, Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures, were also closed.
The transport ministry is calling on residents in areas with heavy snow to refrain from going out unnecessarily and to properly equip their vehicles when going out, such as with tire chains.