When I first moved to Japan, I found out that Japan had a typhoon season. But, I didn’t really know a lot about them. I thought most storms had female names, and that typhoons were the distant cousins of the powerful hurricanes.
So if you didn’t experience typhoons back home (like me), I hope that the information here answers some questions for you.
The Basics
The typhoon season in Japan usually starts sometime in July and ends around October.
But in my mind, September is typhoon season in Japan coz this is usually when the biggest ones hit us.
1. But what exactly are typhoons?
They are tropical storms.
2. What is the difference between a typhoon, a hurricane and a cyclone?
They are all tropical storms.
The difference is where it occurs. The Location of the storm.
- North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific Ocean – Hurricane
- Southwest Pacific Ocean and Southeast Indian Ocean – Cyclone
- Northwest Pacific Ocean – Typhoon
And Japan is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. So yup! We get typhoons.
3. How are typhoons identified in Japan?
By numbers. So for example, the first typhoon of the year is called Typhoon number 1. And the 15th typhoon of the year is called Typhoon number 15 (台風15号). Pretty straightforward, right?
4. How many typhoons does Japan get in a year?
About 26-30
5. Are the typhoons in Japan dangerous?
Some are and some aren’t. The ones that make landfall tend to affect us more than the ones that don’t.
6. Where can we get updates?
- NHK World has an English site
- Tenki (Japanese)
- Japan Meteorological Agency has a map (Japanese)
- Japan Meteorological Agency has information on the Emergency Warning System (English)
- Yahoo! Japan (Japanese)
So what should we do if we know a typhoon is heading towards us?
Ideally, we should all have an Emergency Bag that we can grab if we need to evacuate, but if you don’t have one yet, make sure you have these 3 things at the very least!
- Water
- Flashlight
- Radio
Oh, and have a raincoat ready in case you need to evacuate.
Know where your nearest Evacuation centre is. Check this map. Most wards also have information on these Evacuation spots so you can check their website for information too.
How do we know if we need to evacuate?
Once it gets to Level 4, ALL residents must evacuate.
Typhoons can be loud and scary, and panic inducing at times too. In my old apartment, I remember the entire apartment block swaying so much I didn’t know if it was because of the wind, or if we were having an earthquake!
The Japan Meteorological Agency has a 5 Level warning scale for floods and landslides.
The elderly and those who need assistance should start evacuating at Level 3. Once it gets to Level 4, ALL residents must evacuate.
Staying indoors
It goes without saying that staying indoors is probably one of the safest places we can be. So here are a few reminders!
Veranda / Balcony
Remove any poles or rods you have outside (the ones you use to hang your clothes on I mean)
If you have any potted plants outside, do them and your neighbours a favour and bring them in.
It’s quite scary to imagine flying potted plants and poles.
Windows
If it’s a powerful typhoon, you might want to tape the windows to prevent the glass from shattering. An apartment I was staying at some years ago had shutters outside the windows and veranda glass doors, so if yours have those, that would probably be better than taping them. Umm…louder too though.
Gas
Some people say that it’s better to turn off the gas. I don’t think I usually do this though. Wonder if I should…
If you are outside
There isn’t a hard and fast rule, but if you are outside the city, stay away from bodies of water and places where there is a risk of landslides.
If you are in a city, try and get home or at least find shelter indoors.
Effect on the transportation system
If it is not too bad, the trains may be delayed as they usually try to run at a lower speed. But if things are getting bad, they will stop for safety reasons.
Sometimes trees fall onto the tracks, and if this happens, it can take quite some time for the train company to remove them.
I once had to wait almost 6 hours before my train line started again because a tree had fallen across the train tracks.
Oh, and there were no taxis available at all because everyone had the exact same idea.
Where to get information on train lines
There are many other train lines so if your line is not in the list above, you will be able to find it online.
How to decipher the numbers often seen in typhoon reports
Wind speed
The highest wind speed (最大瞬間風速)
This is written as XXm/s
To put things into perspective, wind speeds of 30m/s can knock a 4 wheel vehicle onto its side.
Size
The storm area (暴風域 – 25m/s 以上)
This is written as XXkm from the centre (中心からXXkm)
So if it says 中心から 130km, this would mean that it would be about 260km across.
Obviously the larger the number, the more cities will be in its path. Whether is is dangerous or not depends on many other factors.
Area of Strong winds
The area with strong winds (強風域 – 15m/s 以上)
This is written as 中心からXXkm
So if it says 中心から500km, that area with strong winds would be 1000km across.
More detailed information on typhoon intensity can be found here. (Japanese)
Stay put or Evacuate
If the Japan Meteorological Agency or local government sends out alerts and orders, follow their instructions.
Amazing fact
I don’t really want to end on a somber note so let me share something amazing I found out just a few years ago.
I will let you in on a little ‘secret’. Most parts of Tokyo do not flood even if the rain is extremely intense.
The locals know this and go to bed knowing that they won’t wake up to a swimming pool in their living room.
Underground flood tunnels
Why? Because Tokyo has underground flood control tunnels, and they are so huge and efficient that they can even handle all the water from the typhoons.
Some news agencies have even called it an ‘Underground Flood Catherdral’ because of its breathtaking structure.
It’s official name is the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel (首都圏外郭放水路).
Tours
And if you are interested in those flood tunnels, you can actually book a tour to check them out!
Stay dry everyone!
Star
Related post: How to make the rainy season in Japan more comfortable
Image credit: Tree vector created by brgfx – www.freepik.com