In Pictures: Autumn colours cling on in Tokyo

Despite the fact that it’s now winter, warm weather has been clinging onto southern parts of Japan.

The average temperature at this time of year in Tokyo is 12C, but for the first five days of this month, the temperatures were well above that. In fact on the first day of the month the temperature soared to 19C.

The warm weather has encouraged people to enjoy the autumnal colours that are still clinging onto the trees. The Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens are one of the places where the vivid colours are still on show.

However, this warmth is a stark contrast to the weather in other northern parts of Asia. Northern Japan, northeast China and eastern Russia are now deep in the grip of winter.

A huge winter storm slammed across the region a few days ago, bringing heavy snow and grinding transport to a halt in many places.

The storm also brought the first snow flurries of winter to North and South Korea.

The weather across the region is expected to stay cool, but largely settled over the next few days. Although the weather won’t be as warm in Tokyo, it should be dry, allowing more people to enjoy the colourful display.