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snow (Page 6)

Tiny Suzuki scores one for the little guys by pulling huge big rig out of the snow 【Video】

As someone who grew up surrounded by full-sized American automobiles, I admit I chuckled a little when I first came to Japan and saw the country’s kei cars. As time went by though, I began to see how these super subcompact cars meshed with Japan’s transportation needs, as they sipped gas and slid easily down the country’s narrow roads.

But it turns out that kei – meaning “light” – cars aren’t just practical. The right one might even get you out of a jam, as this video of a heroic Suzuki saving a truck stranded in the snowstorm that hit the Tokyo area last week.

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Shibuya’s Hachiko statue gets a snow family for a short time

The tragic yet sweet story of faithful dog Hachiko is infamous in Japan and many parts of the world. One dog’s unflinching love and dedication inspired a statue to be erected in his honor outside Shibuya Station where the real Hachiko once stood.

With a second helping of snow dumped over Tokyo in the late hours of Fundoshi Day, someone took it upon themselves to offer Hachiko with a companion.

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Meanwhile, in Hokkaido…

There has been a lot of news over the record snowfalls in many parts of Japan. However, from people all along the Northwestern coast and in Hokkaido a collective “What about us?” could be heard.

As a reminder, one Hokkaido resident tweeted out this photo of their local Lawson. We’re sure of that because the sign is the only visible part on the store. It looks as if it worked too as the photo is currently doing the rounds on the internet and getting retweeted over 16,000 times.

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What we learned from Tokyo’s blizzard: Snow Pikachu evolves into Machochu

The rare blanket of snow Tokyo received last week gave Japan’s capital city residents a chance to show off their creativity. Since it was a seldom seen treat that happened to fall over the weekend, everyone and their mother seemed to be showing off their newfound snow sculpting skills. But this Snow Pikachu has got to be our favorite. Sure, the bicycle-riding snow cat was pretty awesome, but we learned something here, people. Snow Pikachu evolves into Machochu. It’s a fact.

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Mr. Cup Noodle forced to shovel snow in front of his own museum

As you may know, Japan, specifically the Kanto Region, has been hit by the largest snowstorm in over a decade. Netizens in the area haven’t been shy about sharing the wonderfully bizarre and beautiful sights the several inches of snow has brought, but there’s one photo in particular that has us tickled. Showing Mr. Cup Noodle himself shoveling snow on one of the whitest days in Yokohama, this picture has been making the rounds on the Internet and delighting those who aren’t quite used to this much of the cold stuff.

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We have a winner! Bicycle-riding snow cat gets full marks for awesomeness

After bringing you photos of stunning sculptures at this year’s Sapporo Snow Festival, awesome amateur creations spotted in Tokyo, and possibly this winter’s most grotesque snow monster, we thought we’d seen more than enough of the white stuff for one year and were happy to see it melt away and Tokyo get back to normal. But then this epic creation appeared online and we just had to share it with you. Say hello to the bicycle-stealing badass that is the snownyan!

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Thinking of ordering a pizza on a snow day? “Screw you!” tweets Japanese delivery driver

With record snowfall this weekend, not many people were keen to get out of their houses to do anything but buy emergency supplies and make snowmen. Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no money to be made–after all, crappy weather is the perfect time to order a pizza, isn’t it? Really, is there anything better than curling up under the kotatsu with a giant steamy pizza, some hot chocolate, and a few DVDs from Tsutaya?

Well, unless you’re the delivery driver, I suppose. Then you might have a very different take on the matter, as one Japanese Twitter user pointed out.

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Tokyoite creates epic snow monster following record snow dump, gets phonecalls from neighbours

As you probably know, Tokyo had some of its heaviest snow in decades this past weekend, with an estimated 24 cm (9.4 inches) of powder on the ground by Saturday afternoon. While for some this spelled disaster, others were happy to get creative and build some epic snowmen, snow mannequins, and even puyo-puyo in the fluffy white stuff.

For one creative Twitter user, however, that same sculpting clay from the sky allowed him to recreate his nightmares in physical form. And it’s not pretty.

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Kanto region gripped in the grip of a couple inches of snow: “I have to change my underwear!”

On 8 February, the skies over Tokyo and much of the Kanto region darkened. Ominous clouds suddenly began to steadily sprinkle the urban center with fluffy flakes of snow. However, in an area not used to such weather conditions, chaos ensued. Residents urged loved ones to stay indoors if possible while others flocked to supermarkets to load up on supplies. Our own Kuzo – who’s no stranger to reporting from dangerous environments such as North Korea and the spa-resort town of Évian-les-Bains, France – took to the streets of Tokyo to see how everyone was coping with the nearly three inches of snow that had strickened them.

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Snowfall in Tokyo sees customers clearing shelves across the region

If you’re in Tokyo today you’re probably indoors staying warm and gazing out the window at a very different scene thanks to Tokyo’s first real snowfall of the season. Hopefully you’ve stocked your kitchen with more than a battered bottle of Kewpie mayonnaise and stray packets of ramen seasoning because if you’re thinking of heading out to the shops for a quick snack, there’s a good chance you won’t find anything there. It seems the city is full of nervous shoppers acting like bears going into hibernation, hoarding stocks despite an abundance of 24-hour convenience stores and fully-functioning delivery services. After seeing these photos, we’d hate to see supermarket conditions in a blizzard or even worse, in a major catastrophe.

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The 2014 Sapporo Snow Festival【Photo Gallery】

Last year we brought you a firsthand account of the 2013 Sapporo Snow Festival, with more images of snow and ice sculptures than you can get your tongue stuck to. This year, we’re sad to say we couldn’t make it out to the annual event up in Japan’s northernmost prefecture, so we’ve been living vicariously through Twitter users. Some of the images we’ve seen are too good not to share, so we decided to give you a little taste of the snow festival through the following gallery of images from Twitter.

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Five of Japan’s best locations to ski and snowboard

For those of us up in the northern hemisphere, winter is already in full swing. And for skiers and snowboarders, that can mean only one thing: the snow-covered mountains are calling and it’s a race against the clock to get the most out of them.

Treated to generous snow dumps each winter and coupled with the fact that so much of the country is mountainous, Japan is one of the best locations in the world for ski and snowboarding fun, not to mention some of the best powder snow in the world. But which resorts should you be sure to visit before the powder turns to slush? Check out this list of five of Japan’s greatest, and our favourite, places to ski and snowboard!

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Five of Japan’s most unique snow-covered hot spring bathing sites

If you’ve ever experienced a soak in a hot outdoor spring, or rotenburo, in the middle of the snow, you’ll know the incredible sensation of extreme cold and heat on your body is an experience that’s hard to beat. With the best of the snow still to come in January and February, we’ve found five of the best snow-covered hot spring destinations perfect for a weekend getaway. From water slides to goblin masks, this collection of winter snowscapes will help you beat the winter chill in the most unique way possible.

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Lawson to be first convenience store to save winter snow…for summer air conditioning?!

On November 1, Lawson is opening a new store in chilly Akita Prefecture. Nothing particularly surprising about this–it seems like a new conbini opens nearly every day in Japan. However, this store will have some rather unique features.

In addition to solar panels, improved insulation, and LED light bulbs, this branch will also be testing out some new environmentally friendly features: Saving winter snow for summer air conditioning and using sunlight to heat the store!

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