Typhoons in Japan: when they come, what shuts down, and the Safety tips app

Typhoons are part of summer and fall in Japan. JNTO's typhoon guide notes that tropical storms can occur at any time of year, but most form between July and October. An average of 25 typhoons form over the Pacific each year, and only around three of them make landfall on Japan's four main islands. They generally pass in less than 24 hours.

What to expect

• Closures: schools and businesses may close temporarily, public transportation may be suspended, and evacuation warnings may be issued for areas near rivers or at risk of landslides (JNTO).
• Planned train suspensions: Tokyo's preparedness guide notes that railways now often plan suspensions in advance when a typhoon is expected to approach. If you need to travel, give yourself ample time to arrive before services stop (JNTO).
• Supplies: stock up on food and water if necessary, but resist panic-buying (JNTO).

How Tokyo tells residents to prepare

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's guide stresses that unlike earthquakes, typhoon information is available ahead of time. Among its points:

• Keep your smartphone and laptop fully charged in case the power goes out.
• Filling the bathtub with water is extremely useful (for toilets and washing when water stops).
• Avoid underground and semi-underground spaces, which flood fast.
• A passenger car's engine may stop if the water reaches 30 cm or more.
• Evacuate by alert level 4, without waiting for level 5.

The warning levels in English (Japan Tourism Agency)

JMA says it is important to finish evacuating while Urgent Warnings are in effect at the latest, and not to let your guard down just because no Emergency Warning has been issued. For the evacuation side of these levels, see Japan's five alert levels explained.

The Safety tips app

The Japan Tourism Agency's free Safety tips app pushes earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings and weather warnings within Japan in 15 languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepali, Khmer, Burmese and Mongolian. It also has an evacuation flowchart for your situation and helpful phrases for asking people around you for information. The agency says it's useful for residents as well as tourists.

For emergency support (illness, disasters and so on), JNTO's Japan Visitor Hotline is 050-3816-2787, 24 hours a day.

Camping or hiking during typhoon season (our suggestions)

• Cancel or move a camping trip when a typhoon is forecast; riverside and low sites are the most exposed. See Floods: Turn Around, Don't Drown.
• Check road closures and planned rail suspensions for your trip home.
• After the storm, rivers can stay high for hours; don't go to look at them.