The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a yellow weather advisory for avalanche in parts of Japan on Wednesday (29 January). The affected areas include Hokkaido (Soya region), Tohoku (including Miyagi, Akita and Yamagata), Tokai (Gifu region), Kinki (including Shiga and Hyogo), Chugoku (including Shimane and Hiroshima), and Shikoku (Ehime region).