Heavy snow that blanketed eastern Japan over the holiday weekend left one man dead and injured 900 others, as Tokyo commuters on Tuesday took to the slippery streets.

Pedestrians shelter under their umbrellas as it snows in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Jan. 14, 2013. A storm system hit eastern Japan on Monday resulting in heavy snow fall that had impacted on traffic in many prefectures, including the capital city of Tokyo. (Photos: Xinhua)

A low-pressure system, dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by local press, dumped 8cm of snow in nine hours, the heaviest snowfall in the region since January 2006, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It left 13 centimetres of snow in neighbouring Yokohama, while mountainous areas around Tokyo saw up to 30cm.

A 71-year-old man in Shiojiri city, Nagano prefecture, died after falling into an open drain as he cleared snow around his house, a fire service spokesman said.

National broadcaster NHK said at least 891 injuries had been recorded in Tokyo and the area around it, many of them elderly people who had slipped on snow-covered streets or motorists involved in accidents.

Major train services resumed operations in Tokyo, although many sections of road remained closed while crews cleared frozen snow.

A boy shovels the pavement in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Jan. 14, 2013. A storm system hit eastern Japan on Monday resulting in heavy snow fall that had impacted on traffic in many prefectures, including the capital city of Tokyo.

All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines cancelled a combined total of 37 domestic flights while dozens of other flights experienced delays.

International operations were not severely affected by the snow, the airlines said.

On Monday, Japanese airlines cancelled more than 460 domestic flights, mainly to or from Tokyo's Haneda airport, where runways were temporarily closed as workers removed snow.

Source: AFP/VNS