Heavy snow blanketed Japan on February 19, disrupting traffic and delaying train services.

Train services including the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line, which connects Tokyo and Osaka, were suspended or delayed due to the snow.

Road closures were temporarily in place on the Meishin Expressway connecting Aichi and Hyogo prefectures, and the Hokuriku Expressway linking Niigata and Shiga prefectures. 

Up to 70 centimeters of snow are expected in the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan through February 20. Up to 60 centimeters of snow in the northern Kanto region and 50 centimeters of snow in the Tokai region are expected to fall in the same period.

The snow is expected to peak over the three-day weekend ending February 24.