As a slow-moving typhoon made landfall in western Japan early on Tuesday, over 800 flights were delayed and tens of thousands of houses lost power, prompting officials to issue flood and landslide warnings.
Typhoon Lan, which was approaching from the Pacific, made landfall near the southernmost point of Wakayama prefecture, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
During the height of Japan’s Obon holiday season, the typhoon, which followed immediately after Typhoon Khanun, pounded large portions of central and western Japan with torrential rain and strong gusts.
Rivers were seen pouring and about to burst their banks in a television video while homes and businesses had their floors ruined by water, while in Nara city, powerful winds had taken down scaffolding at a building site.
According to regional utilities, power outages hit almost 90,000 households in central and western Japan.
Additionally, some 210 7-Eleven convenience store outlets were shuttered to ensure safety.
According to Reuters, the dangerous levels of rain and winds forced road closures and dozens of train lines to suspend services in the area.
Over the next 24 hours, the central Tokai region — home of Toyota Motor — was expected to get about 350 mm (13.8 inches) of rainfall, nearly three times the average rainfall for August. Many factories close during the Obon holidays, when city-dwellers return to their ancestral homes.
Typhoon Lan had sustained winds of 150 kph (93 mph) and was moving northwest across the western part of the main island of Honshu at around 15 kph (9 mph). According to Japan’s weather agency, it was forecast to reach the Sea of Japan by early Wednesday and continue north along the sea.
