The record for the latest snowcap formation of 2024 on Mount Fuji was broken on Oct 26, with the mountain’s peak still yet to see its first snowfall.

       2024 will therefore mark the latest snowcap formation on Mount Fuji since recordkeeping began 130 years ago.

       The previous record was Oct 26, which was set in 1955 and tied in 2016.

       Mount Fuji’s first snowcap of the year traditionally signifies the arrival of winter.

       According to the Kofu Local Meteorological Office, higher-than-usual temperatures are believed to be behind the delay in snowfall on the mountain.

       Each year, weather officials confirm the season’s first snowcap from the meteorological office, about 40km from the mountain. The practice began in 1894, when the previous observatory was founded.

       The officials said cloudy weather around the mountain or in the city could make it difficult for them to confirm the formation of a snowcap even if snow has fallen.

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       “We can usually appreciate the view of a snow-capped Mount Fuji against autumn colours this time of the year,” said Ms Yuka Shimizu, a worker at a green tea shop in the Honcho-dori shopping street in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture. The street has become a famous location for enjoying Mount Fuji’s picturesque scenery.

       “I’m looking forward to the first snowcap so that I can appreciate the changing of the seasons,” she said. THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK