Heavy snow hit the Sea of Japan coast from the Tohoku to Kyushu regions Sunday, disrupting transportation and prompting authorities to urge people to stay indoors.
The Meteorological Agency predicts snow and blizzard conditions will continue until Tuesday, with up to 90 centimeters of snow projected to fall in some regions.
Television footage Sunday showed heavy blizzard conditions in Aomori and Niigata prefectures, as well as parts of Ishikawa, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures on the Sea of Japan coast. Snow also fell in Tokyo for the first time this year, as well as in Nagoya and Hiroshima.