Mount Fuji finally gets its first snow, a month later than last year
Mount Fuji has finally gotten its iconic snowcap, meteorologists in Japan said, more than a month later than it did last year and the latest in 130 years.
TOKYO — Mount Fuji has finally gotten its iconic snowcap, meteorologists in Japan said Thursday, more than a month later than it did last year and the latest of any year in 130 years of record-keeping.
The snowcap on the nearly 12,300-foot-high mountain revealed itself 33 days later than last year, said Japan Meteorological Agency officials in the nearby district of Kofu, making this the longest delay since observations began in 1894.
The previous record was in 2016, when Mount Fuji’s first snowfall arrived on Oct. 26, while last year the first snow was on Oct. 5.
Mount Fuji, a national symbol of Japan, is a pilgrimage destination and UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts hikers from all over the world.
It usually starts getting snow in early October, about a month after the end of the summertime hiking season. In 2008, its first snowfall arrived on Aug. 9.
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