It snowed heavily in Tokyo for the first time in years and the photos are amazing

The Japanese capital of Tokyo awoke to 23 centimetres of snow earlier this week.

The city dug itself out of a snowfall which had blocked traffic and trains, leading to transport delays around the city. The snowfall was the heaviest the city had experienced for four years, leading to cancelled flights and some 740 traffic accidents, Reuters reports.

The capital often sees snow at least once a year, but it rarely accumulates.

This led to some beautiful photos and heartwarming social media posts from the population.

Here are the highlights: