KYOTO -- Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, one of Kyoto's best-known temples, was blanketed in snow as cold weather hit western Japan on Dec. 18.

       Snow covered the roof of the temple located in the city's Kita Ward and the surrounding trees, creating a striking contrast with its golden walls.

       According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temperature in the morning in Kyoto stood at an icy 0.9 degrees Celsius. The mercury also plummeted in other parts of western Japan to give many areas their coldest temperatures this season, with Osaka recording 2.2 C, Kobe 1.2 C, and Wakayama 3.2 C.

       According to the JMA's Osaka Regional Headquarters, a winter weather pressure system was expected to ease through Dec. 19, but snow was expected to continue to fall intermittently mainly in mountainous areas in the northern Kinki region.

       (Japanese original by Shiho Matsumoto, Osaka City News Department)

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