Yellow sand blankets parts of Japan
TOKYO – A yellow sandstorm covered wide areas of western and northern Japan on Thursday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to warn of possible disruptions to transportation due to poor visibility.
In Osaka, visibility was about five kilometers on Thursday morning. Other areas affected included Fukuoka, Nagoya, Sendai and Sapporo, the agency reported. Yellow sand was also observed above parts of Tokyo for the first time since May 2021.
The yellow sand, which is carried on westerly winds from China, reached Japan on Tuesday and is expected to continue until Saturday.
Earlier this week, China’s capital of Beijing and much of the country’s north were blanketed by the sandstorm. The storms are a frequent occurrence in spring as sand from the Gobi and other western deserts blow in an easterly direction.
© Japan Today