Temperatures fell Friday morning to their lowest levels this winter in many parts of the country.
In the Otemachi business district in Tokyo, the mercury sank to a low of 1.8, and the season's first frost was observed 27 days later than usual, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Bullet trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were forced to slow down between Gifu Hashima and Shin-Osaka stations due to heavy snow, Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) said.
In the morning, snow piled up as high as 218 cm in Sukayu, Aomori Prefecture, and 199 cm in Daisen, Tottori Prefecture.
According to the Meteorological Agency, the town of Taiki in Hokkaido registered the lowest temperature in the nation, at minus 23.9. Temperatures hit subzero levels in Sapporo, Sendai, Niigata and Nagoya, as well as the major Kyushu cities of Kumamoto and Miyazaki.