For the first time in four years, the Tokyo area received a heavy snowfall, with four inches falling by the time all was said and done. Although other parks, like Disneyland Paris, can see snow on a semi-regular basis, real snowfall in the Tokyo area is few and far between due to the heat island created by the world’s largest city. As such, most visitors to Tokyo Disney Resort were surprised on January 6 when snow started to fall around the parks, and we decided to show off some sights from the parks as the snow draped the area.

It wasn’t long after the snowfall started that the Mickey floral at the park’s exit was covered in powder. For a time, the Mickey Mouse face was still visible even under the snow, although this changed into the evening as you can see in the video below.

The iconic Partners statue received a bit of a coat of snow, although only on the direction from which the wind was blowing, and it seems like the two were slightly cleaned during the day. The plaques were wiped down as well before the evening.

There was no surface left untouched, with the gardens around Cinderella Castle receiving a very magical coat of snow.

The thatched roof and pagoda of The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch present Aloha e Komo Mai create quite the contrast, as tropical architecture isn’t really imagined to pair with snow.

At Big Thunder Mountain, snow covered the orange rocks of the mountain, and Cast Members took the opportunity to create some little snowmen! Here we see Olaf, Mickey Mouse, and Winnie the Pooh.

On the rare occasion it snows at Tokyo Disney Resort, Cast Members are encouraged to create little yukidaruma, literally “snow dolls”, based on characters. Most opt for the classic Mickey Mouse, although one Cast Member at the Mark Twain Riverboat chose to create a little Baymax.

Chick-a-pin Hill was not spared of course, and some intrepid guests were still riding Splash Mountain in the below-freezing weather!

Although the buildings themselves were quite a sight, most pathways around the park were slushy and wet due to guest foot traffic.

The white snow only accents the rainbow pastel colors outside it’s a small world even more!

If only we’d had Haunted Mansion: Holiday Nightmare return this year, the snow would’ve been absolutely perfect.

The snow was so snowy that Winnie the Pooh and friends struggled to read the tale of their Hunny Hunt… or maybe that’s just guests.

A sight one certainly won’t see in Florida, Gaston’s amusing statue in Belle’s Village with a shimmering snow covering.

The object of many guests’ fascination was of course the Beast’s Castle. Imagineer Jim Clark often shares photos on Twitter of the light snowfall that dusted the castle in March 2020, while the parks were closed due to COVID-19, and it made many happy to finally see the majesty of the castle in a winter wonderland.

Even more so in the evening, when the castle and the surrounding area were blanketed with the magical white powder.

Even the Toons of Toontown couldn’t escape the winter weather. Seems like Mickey might be ready for the holidays, even if it’s a couple weeks late.

Our personal healthcare companion got a bit chilly himself. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the park’s beauty?

We love seeing these little snowmen (or snow-mice) around the parks. It’s little things like these that really demonstrate the Disney difference.

Once all was said and done toward the evening, Cinderella Castle looked absolutely magnificent with a light blanket of snow. You don’t see anything so familiar and yet so different like this all that often!

As the evening set in, the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland beckoned with a snowy mystery for what would await those within.

Tokyo DisneySea also got quite the snowy treatment, with powder sticking to the top of the AquaSphere at the park entrance and snow coating the trees around the plaza.

The shores of Mediterranean Harbor sparkled with the snow.

Mount Prometheus at the park’s center was almost closer to Everest than volcano with the snowfall, although it did still erupt throughout the day as normal.

Fortress Explorations, world headquarters of S.E.A., better see about investing in some shovels! The rocks, towers, and even the Renaissance frigate are only accented by the weather.

In Cape Cod, Cast Members went a step further than your standard Mickey and created little snowmen for all six of the Duffy friends!

For a time, the DisneySea Electric Railway continued to run in the foul weather. With the Hotel Hightower in the background, it almost looks like old New York City in the winter.

Port Discovery and Lost River Delta both received a light dusting. And with Aquatopia closing for the day, snow started to gather on the ride vehicles themselves.

The next morning, as the skies cleared and the sun rose, guests walking in were treated to a beautiful sight as Tokyo Disney Resort was draped a beautiful winter morning. While it doesn’t snow all that often, typically only once every year or two if that, it’s certainly quite a treat when the winter weather does come. We hope someday you too can enjoy this rare treat on your next visit to Japan.

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Featured image by @yuka_DL on Twitter, used with permission.