Avalanche kills three in Japan

Police investigate the site of an avalanche that claimed the lives of three Japanese tourists.

Heavy snow triggered the avalanche which crushed tents housing an outdoor hot spring bath.

A local resident said he is not surprised by the incident but there had not been avalanches in the area before.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT OF TAMAGAWA HOT SPRINGS RESORT SAYING:

"That area had no trees growing around it so I am not surprised what happened, happened."

Many commuters found their journey disrupted by the weather, with traffic reduced to a crawl.

Some cars not equipped with snow tires were filmed sliding on roads caked with snow and ice.

Snow piled up about twice the height of a local news reporter.

Many residents are frustrated at the snow.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) UNIDENTIFIED LOCAL RESIDENT SAYING:

"My back aches so this is really hard on me."

But not everyone is unhappy at the drastic change in weather.

Some children are having fun outdoors, building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other.

Sophia Soo, Reuters.