An influx of yellow sand believed to have originated in the deserts of China was observed dusting much of western Japan on Saturday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
The areas where the sand was seen included the cities of Kanazawa, Nagoya, Kyoto, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Fukuoka and Kagoshima.
Visibility at several observation points in the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu regions was reduced to around 5 km by the dust, the agency said.
The sand may continue to fall Sunday in areas from Okinawa throughout northeast Honshu and may affect traffic conditions.