In Toyama, strong winds pulled down a barn, killing a man, police there said. In Ishikawa prefecture, an 82-year-old woman died after hitting her head when she fell in strong wind.
Japan's meteorological agency predicted a developing low pressure system and front in the Sea of Japan will create strong winds and heavy rain in Japan from Tuesday morning through Wednesday. The agency asked people to avoid potential weather hazards by remaining indoors.
Strong gusts and rain hit western Japan in the morning and widened northward throughout the day.
A record-breaking wind was recorded in the western city of Tomogashima, at 150 kilometers per hour (94 miles per hour).
By late afternoon, train stations in Tokyo's business and commercial districts were packed with commuters who took early trains home to avoid potential public transportation closures.
Many companies, including Sony, Canon and Fujitsu, closed business early to send employees home.
Memories of traffic chaos are still fresh on people's minds in large Japanese cities where tens of thousands were stranded overnight after last year's devastating earthquake.
The Shinkansen bullet train service was stopped between west and central Japan, while railway service was suspended in many areas throughout the country. More than 500 flights were canceled.
Images of toppled trucks, broken umbrellas and squatting pedestrians unable to walk in strong winds were shown one after another on evening news programs.
