Heavy rain was falling in Gifu and Mie prefectures on Saturday, as the Japan Meteorological Agency urged people “to remain vigilant for landslides, flooding and overflowing rivers”.

“This is the first time I saw a typhoon sweeping across all of Japan,” a resident in the capital, Tokyo, told Reuters news agency.

“Typhoons are supposed to go north from Okinawa. So, I didn’t expect it to be like this. I’m very surprised.”

All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have cancelled dozens of domestic flights.

Bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka are among those affected throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Shinkansen bullet trains in the central city of Nagoya were also suspended – and there are warnings that more could be halted.