Typhoon #12

So far typhoon #12 has caused 17 deaths, 54 people are missing and thousands are evacuated after heavy floods. Most of the deaths are  from the heavy rains — drownings and people getting caught in mudslides. There's more heavy rain projected, so it's likely the total damage will continue to increase. We have been fortunate that the typhoon veered off and crossed southern Honshu well west of Osaka.

It's easy to overlook typhoons — they are "only" weather after all — but the reality is that typhoons are a greater danger than earthquakes, even in earthquake-prone Japan. The potential destructive power of a single event is much greater for earthquakes of course, but typhoons are much more common.

If you live in a typhoon (or hurricane) prone area, it's a really, really good idea to look over your preparedness. It's also a good idea to keep typhoons in mind when you choose a place to live, and avoid the riskiest areas near steep hillsides and riverbanks. A mountain-side home may be very picturesque, but it's not very safe if that mountainside decides to turn into a landslide.

#6

The hot, sunny weather we've had lately suddenly turned rainy and cool (well, not quite as hot is more like it). The reason? Typhoon #6. We rarely get typhoons here in Osaka - the city is well sheltered - but this one seems determined to hit us straight on. Should arrive here around Wednesday. Now, it's unlikely to actually pass straight over the city as Shikoku should deflect the center out towards the sea, but it'll be close enough for some rough weather.

Let's just hope the trains don't stop; I like my current job well enough, but not so much I want to spend the night sleeping under my desk.

Typhoon #6. Click for the full prediction on JMA.

Typhoon #2

Typhoon #2 hit Japan over the weekend. It ran right over Okinawa main island then aimed straight for Honshu. Okinawa, Kyushu, parts of Shikoku and southern Honshu all saw a good deal of damage; uprooted trees, mudslides, turned-over trucks and so on. About 65 people have been injured, though thankfully nobody has died.

The typhoon aimed straight at Osaka, and just as it was about to hit - it got downgraded to a tropical storm and veered off out into the sea. There was storm damage all around but in Osaka itself we just got a good downpour and a little bit of wind. This often happens with typhoons.

One possible reason is that Osaka lies very sheltered in a river delta at the and of Seto inland sea, with Shikoku and Awaji acting as sea-side buffers, and the mountains in Wakayama and Hyogo protecting it from land. Another popular explanation is that Osaka is too loud, too coarse and too vulgar for such high-status weather systems; typhoons try to avoid the embarrassment of being seen anywhere near the city. My money is on the second theory.

Tsuyu

Tsuyu - the rainy season - has arrived in Kansai. It's early; it normally starts around the second week of June. Also, Okinawa is expecting its first typhoon of the season already, and it may even reach Honshu in a few days. While typhoon season typically starts around now, it's rare for the early typhoons to be strong enough to hit Japan directly.

The weather service has predicted a hotter summer than normal; let's just hope it won't be as bad as last year. Much of the country is going to have energy supply problems already, and a heatwave will make the problem worse. Of course, it would give us an excuse to go snorkelling...

Shizuoka

Shizuoka prefecture - along the coast between Tokyo and Osaka - isn't having a good week so far. Yesterday, at 5 in the morning, they had a shindo 6, magnitude 6.4 earthquake - strong enough that it woke us up in Osaka. Which was when a typhoon was passing by and drenching the area. It seems only one person died from the earthquake, while at least 13 people have died from the typhoon across the country and dozens more still missing. For all the fear of earthquakes, typhoons are actually both more common and more dangerous.

It lead to a slightly absurd scene on the morning news yesterday where the screen was overlaid with competing disaster information text scrollers and maps, all but covering the announcer. He was busy listing closed train lines and roads, and for some reason adding which disaster was responsible for each closure, as if that matters a whole lot to people unable to travel or even get to work.

This news managed to get top billing for only one day before being pushed back again by this week's real-life soap opera drama of Noriko Sakai - actress/talent with a wholesome Mommy's girl image - and her husband being arrested for drug possession. Apparently this "disaster" is more important to people than a typhoon; the typhoon can't cry and fake repentance on a live press conference, I guess.

Typhoon Season

Typhoon #1 and #2
Click for JMA info

The Golden Week holiday marks the end of early summer, and true to form we now have the season's first two typhoons emerging in south Asia. #1 is south of the Japanese islands, and #2 is southeast of Vietnam. Neither is going to make landfall here (one will stay in the south, one will pass by far east of Honshu), but it means the early summer is ending and the rainy season is coming up.

Last year we didn't have a single typhoon hit this area. It's unusual but not unheard of. We're not likely to be as lucky again this year I think. Fortunately we live in a major city so we could live and work here more or less indefinitely without ever having to actually go outside.