Japanese Typhoon Season: My Memories
Last column we talked about just how hot Japan can get in the Summer, this time let’s focus on what comes after…Japanese Typhoon Season.
My mum came to visit me in Japan in August, which is a usual time to go on holiday in the UK, but did mean she was visiting me during the hot humid Summer. We both adapted and even took a several day break to the Blackpool of Japan, the seaside resort of Atami. Famous for its beaches and hot springs. The morning of the last day we woke up and finished packing, happy with the trip but eager to get home.
We then discovered we had unwittingly arrived right at the start of Japanese Typhoon season.
As we nervously ventured outside rain the likes of which I’d never experienced slammed down onto the town. The streets were running with water. We reached the train terminal and hurried onto a train which proceeded to sit idle, with an apologetic announcer explaining that the trains simply couldn’t run in this weather. My mother was flying back home in a day or two, and had to get back to Tokyo. We waited, shunted around a few stations and waited some more. Thankfully the crown jewel of Japan’s railway network came to the rescue.
We managed to get to a Shinkansen junction and paid out of pocket for a bullet train to take us back to Tokyo. Clearly even the wind and the rain can’t stop the mighty Kodama. We were home and dry with a huge story to tell.
A Yearly Problem
Japanese Typhoon season is definitely something to plan for if you’re visiting Japan in the late Summer. Typhoons are huge rotating cyclones of clouds and thunderstorm which form over tropical waters. Due to its position as an island on the edge of the Pacific Japan gets hit by Typhoons regularly and so national precautions are always place, but the storms are a consistent threat. The main islands of Japan are hit by an average of 2.6 Typhoons per year and 10.3 reach close to the coast. Okinawa is even more vulnerable, hit by an average of 7 per year! Much like with the threat of Earthquakes, Japan has a well tested system of tracking and alerting about weather events, with experts able to roughly estimate when each Typhoon will make landfall and hit the coast. That means you can adapt and plan when necessary.
Staying Prepared
So how should you respond when a Typhoon is incoming? Well for one thing, check your travel arrangements to try and make sure you’re not starting a long trip on the day of the typhoon. Unlike us! Charge your phone in case of power-cuts and to make sure you can communicate consistently. Close windows, shutters and doors, have waterproof clothing on hand and ensure any large objects like bikes are secured down. Check the evacuation routes of your building and what the local process is when dealing with natural disasters. If you’re a tourist you can also check with your country’s embassy in Japan, who will likely have specific detailed advice in your own language. These steps might seem a bit intimidating, but Japanese people do them all the time, it’s part of the yearly process and helps yourself and those around you just incase.
Use these tips and seek out more information if necessary to make sure you have a happy, safe and most importantly…dry holiday.
