Weather events in Japan

 We had another opportunity for a long weekend trip down to the Art islands of Naoshima and Teshima for our second visit. Click here for a more complete discription. We had a good friends visiting from Kaslo and we knew that they would enjoy the art so we booked lodging and transportation several months ahead because things are so crowded in Japan on long weekends. 

 As the weekend approached we watched the weather with great consternation. The news was full of the weather events in Texas, and Florida, and we read that this typhoon coming up from the Pacific was a huge one.  Hello to Typhoon Talim.

 We debated back-and-forth whether we should go or not. If we didn't go we would lose our reservations and a good trip. If we did go we might be heading into the path of the typhoon.  Japan has excellent storm tracking sites which we could follow hour by hour. Click here to view the site. It look like the typhoon would not be hitting the area that we were headed to so we decided to go ahead. 

We arrived under heavy but regular rain and enjoyed viewing some of the art on our first day on the island. (note the open house happening for the Japanese destroyer in the background as Japan saber rattles for the North Korea crisis). 

As we toured around the island we noted that people were VERY clear about the arrival of the typhoon. The ferry was canceled for Sunday. All of the museums were closed. The bike rental shop was closed. The onsen was also closed for Sunday. 

Dramatic art museums and art installations... viewed under pouring rain but not a typhoon. 

The next morning, after an amazing breakfast, with everything shut we toured around the island under grey skies, constantly debating whether the typhoon was, or was not coming. We checked out the public art that was on display in the streets as all museums were shut for the typhoon... Maybe a clue?

Based on our experience of the sketchy weather reporting in BC, we just couldn't see the signs of an approaching typhoon. We even went swimming... then we felt the water being drawn away from the beach; sign of a storm surge preparing itself. 

We decided to head straight back to our lodging as the first few drops began falling... and the warning system set up all across Japan began blaring. Though we couldn't understand, it certainly was insistent. We asked our host who said; "Typhoon coming"!!!

The rain started gently, then the wind began... and then the deluge; this is a series of three videos sent from our lodging as the storm increased. 

We experienced the power of the early warning system in Japan. Click here for details about the latest warning alerts for incoming missiles. 

It was quite nerve racking as we settled into an afternoon and evening of howling winds and dumping rain, accompanied by regular announcements on the PA and fire trucks driving by. Around 9:00 PM our phones began ringing regularly with messages from the security alert system. Again, all in Japanese so we used Shelley's phone to scan and translate my phone. Each announcement was for a new area to be evacuated due to land slides. Was it our area? Then we would get out Google maps to find out that no... our area was not being evacuated.

They alert system is amazing but... as a foreigner, we had real trouble understanding the information!

After a stressful night of listening to the howling wind and pouring rain, the intensity of the typhoon decreased gradually until...

the next morning which was a beautiful, mild and sunny day. The only reminder of the typhoon was areas where the tidal surge had swept over the concrete barriers. 

We resumed touring the art islands under sunny skies. Once again we were thrilled to see the work done by artists to re-vision abandoned houses into art pieces. 

A glimpse through the re-visioned window to the traditional port...

And a pumpkin with polka dots? Why not? Our rental bike helmets designed to "match"...

We left the area with a renewed sense of awe about human creativity when well-funded... and a renewed sense of awe about the power of nature in our own "back yard"!