Thousands of travelers were stranded at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido after record-breaking snowfall paralyzed transport across Japan’s northern prefecture. Over 2,000 people spent the night at the airport after over 90 flights were canceled due to severe snow conditions. Rail services also suffered disruptions with over 500 train services canceled on January 25, 2026. The relentless snowfall has rewritten weather records across the region, with Sapporo’s capital seeing 65 centimeters of snow accumulate over a 48-hour period ending January 26, 2026 at 22:00 local time.