Typhoon Maria drenched eastern and northern Japan with heavy rain and brought high waves, cancelling a number of flights and ferry runs to the dismay of summer vacationers.

Maria, packing winds of 83 kilometers (52 miles) per hour, reached waters off Katsuura city in Chiba prefecture of suburban Tokyo around 11 am (0200 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

But Maria, moving east-northeast at a speed of 35 kilometers (22 miles) per hour, turned its course and headed toward the northern Pacific.

Typhoon Maria is expected to move away from Japan Thursday, "but its impact -- meaning strong wind and rain-- are expected to remain a little longer," said an agency official.

Japan is also on guard against Typhoon Saomai, which is on course to slam into Taiwan and southern China and may hit the southern island chain of Okinawa.

Packing winds measuring 180 kilometers (112 miles) per hour, Saomai, named after the Vietnamese word for the planet Venus, is expected to move between Taiwan and Okinawa from Wednesday night through Thursday, the Japanese agency said.

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