Reports from Japan say at least 100 people have died in snow-related accidents this season.
The toll includes a six-year-old boy who died Monday when snow from the roof of a day-care center fell on him as he played with friends in the facility's playground.
The death toll is the highest since the winter of 1983-1984 when 131 people died in northern Japan.
Officials are warning that avalanches pose a danger as temperatures warm briefly this week. Some areas are piled with nearly four meters of snow.
Some information for this story provided by AP and AFP.