Japan braces for strong typhoon

Why this Typhoon was named TALAS ?

In our country we have a town named Talas - KYRGYZ Republic -Central Asia!

Is it a japanese word ?

Here is a Kyrgyz map: http://image.torrent.kg/images/aQM6563.gif

must be fun while in south cal there is nothing but drought and wildfire

Since when is 800 millimeters 'a little rain'?

A people are missing, could it be some of our 'go out and enjoy it' posters? ;-P

The freakin' thing hasn't moved but a few kilometers since I went to bed at 3...it was supposed to pass over us at 3, then 6am, now they're saying 6pm tonight. Have my fingers crossed for no landslides.

I used to think typhoon were fun and harmless, too, back when I was new in the country and had no experience of their danger. I gradually learned that typhoons are dangerous: property is damaged, trees fall down, large objects fly around and hit people, and people die. Oh, and there was that one time about 11 years ago ('99?) when my kitchen ceiling caved in, while I was at home. These people who downplay typhoons have dumb luck.

Went surfing yesterday. Funny how only foreigners and two Japanese were there. Beautiful waves! But on a slack day day with no waves, the beach is jam packed.

Some pour rain like there's going to be tomorrow,

Sorry that should have read;

Some pour rain like there's never going to be a tomorrow.

Typhoons in Japan arent dangerous but the peoples reaction to them is very dangerous.

I'm sorry but naive thinking like this will get you killed during a typhoon. Don't be lulled into thinking that a tropical storm can't do any damage, or that just because it's "only" a Cat 1 typhoon that nothing is going to happen. I have lived through at least a hundred typhoons over the years and each one has it's own personality. Some pour rain like there's going to be tomorrow, and others shed not a drop.(figuratively speaking) The winds can be deceiving as well, and you'll NEVER know when a gust could drop you on your butt.

I've lost vehicles in typhoons due to flooding, seen it rain inside of elevators because the wind was so strong that it forced the rain up into the exhaust hoods that were less than 5 centimeters from the ground, seen landslides that literally destroyed peoples houses and lives, and black outs that lasted for days.

Mainland Japan is more prone to damage from typhoons due to the structure of the soil, it's loose and slides easily in heavy rains, and the fact that people don't really have a lot of experience with them overall. I was in Miyako when a typhoon hit a few years back, top gusts were over 80 meters per second or roughly 290 kilometers per hour. If that kind of wind ever hit mainland the devastation would be enormous.

Don't underestimate mother nature and you will survive, be prudent and use common sense.

I take it that running outside would be a big no no, right? Lets hope is not as big as JP portrays it to be.

Wind and rain not much problem, but tiles, bins, corrugated iron and branches flying around like missiles? Wear body armor/armour, LOL.

Serrano, sorry to hear that - no - but I do have my 100 yen umbrella which I will put to the test tomorrow!

@Burakumin - You have your rainboots? I left mine on the train, gosh darn it!

A rain storm is coming.

I say go out in the peak of the typhoon and experience the full force of nature at its best.

I used to do that. The first time my glasses were whisked off my nose my a sudden gust and dashed into a million pieces against a wall. The second time my glasses were swept off my nose and into the raging river beside me.

I don't do it any more :)

I can't stand all these fake concerned posts saying things like "Stay safe people".

I say go out in the peak of the typhoon and experience the full force of nature at its best.

For most people it will just be a bit wet and windy as is usual for a typhoon, despite all the dire predictions of Armageddon-like catastrophe in the Japanese media.

However, if you are lucky enough to be where things are getting extreme, get out there, preferably with just a 100yen umbrella and brave the storm. If you live to tell the tale you will have a great story for the next drinking evening at the izakaya with your mates.

We've got some rather strong gusts even down on the edge in Kumamoto; those at the center must be really hunkering down now. Tornadoes will suck your windows out; typhoons will blow them in. In one a few years ago, I had the kids playing Monopoly in the center, windowless room as I prowled around the house inspecting, and I swear I could hear the glass creak as it flexed with the gusts. The next morning, all the streets in the neighborhood were knee-high in debris: we dodged that bullet, sure, but never take a typhoon lightly.

FFS...It'll be a bit wet & windy in Tokyo

DentShop- couldnt agree with you more. People afraid of their own shadow jabbering on about a little rain and actually trimming wicks on oil lamps. (when was the last time in the history of man did anyone actually use an oil lamp in an emergency? I'm guessing 1927)

Tell that to all those people who died

Umm ok - pass the ouija board.

Typhoons in Japan arent dangerous but the peoples reaction to them is very dangerous.

but this one seems strong and dangerous.

Typhoons in Japan arent dangerous but the peoples reaction to them is very dangerous.

Tell that to all those people two years ago in Sayo in Hyogo ken who died , or those in Nishiwaki whose houses were underwater 5 years ago....in '91, Typhoon number 19 blew our fully loaded shed into a neighbors' yard...

How long have you been here? Ever experienced a real threat?

10 years, every August/September people fret and and then wake up the next day forgetting what they were worried about.

I will give you a thumbs up though presto.

Typhoons in Japan arent dangerous but the peoples reaction to them is very dangerous.

Not dangerous? The peoples? How long have you been here? Ever experienced a real threat?

Meh - a sparrows fart here in Osaka.

Typhoons in Japan arent dangerous but the peoples reaction to them is very dangerous.

Panic buying of water, driving like retards because it is raining a little, encouraging kids to run across the street because it is windy, illegally parking outside the station because Kenji forgot his umbrella and thinking because there is a storm they dont have to check their mirrors or indicate.

All good though, my boss gave me the day off tomorrow on full pay because he is spooked by the storm. So it is time to get my drink on. That means be careful because I will be preying on stupid comments tonight. Hurricane Dent is about to hit landfall.

As an American from Florida (Florida Keys area) I'm very familiar with hurricanes...many in fact, and was in Miami for Hurricane Andrew...devastation was unbelievable...since this is going to be a tropical storm, and not really a hurricane/typhoon...not expecting much damage from winds...but because of mountainous terrain, flooding may be a big issue, especially if it's moving slow...BTW, I live in the Osaka area. The whole "donut shape" theory won't completely apply here because of the size and type of storm (a tropical storm by definition) and also the mountains which may tear its symetry apart...in any case, will be an interesting night! Keep safe everyone and stay dry! Hope the power stays on! Notwithstanding the issues at Fukushima, which is in someways a sad irony...

Stay in , stay safe, trim the wicks on your oil lamps in case of power cuts and have a good book at hand

It's been raining cats and foxes up here in Hokkaido. Toilet flooded a bit so far but got it under control.

We'll have a bit of rain tonight and it'll be lovely and sunny and cool tomorrow

I don't know where you live Ivan, but I live in Tokyo and tomorrow is looking to be hot (31 degrees) and rainy.

If the JT staff spent as much time reading articles as they did weeding out non PC comments then this world would be a rosier place eh?

Mark_McCracken

A major typhoon is headed toward Japan. Wrong. It is not a "major typhoon". It is a tropical storm. Category 1 typhoons (the weakest of the 5 categories) have 1 minute maximum sustained winds of 64-82 knots. Currently winds are 55 knots, and not expected to reach typhoon strength.

Hear hear. We'll have a bit of rain tonight and it'll be lovely and sunny and cool tomorrow. Probably some mad old bloke will climb up on his roof during the peak of the storm and we'll all have to pretend his death was an unavoidable tragedy, rather than a predictable result of stupidity.

@bookowls

They are the same. Just depends what part of the world they happen in.

Ah yes, typhoon, just another name for hurricanes, cyclones etc...they all suck!

They are certainly not the same!! And they blow, not suck.

12 years in Japan, many typhoons and not once have I ever heard or seen a news report that said someone was "slammed to the ground" as a result of the typhoon.

Luckily they built a roof over the blown up melted down reactors in Fukushima...didn't they? Imagine all that Plutonium blowing around.

Not so much wind, at least not where I am

I'm in Okayama, and it's been pretty windy for the past few hours. Then again it's always windy when my wife is around.

Ah yes, typhoon, just another name for hurricanes, cyclones etc...they all suck!

A major typhoon is headed toward Japan.

Wrong. It is not a "major typhoon". It is a tropical storm. Category 1 typhoons (the weakest of the 5 categories) have 1 minute maximum sustained winds of 64-82 knots. Currently winds are 55 knots, and not expected to reach typhoon strength.

at least not where I am,... for those of us who don't know where you are, farmboy, that doesn't mean much.

I doubt that the US and Japan measurements are different. It is very possibly the classification or nomenclature is different.

This is most likely going to be a torrential rain, flooding, landslide event. A storm need not be a Cat 4 or even a Cat 1 to do massive water damage!!

Going to slam into here soon, and already nailing Shikoku and outlying areas of Kinki. I hope people have the common sense to stay safe and indoors if/when it hits their area.

Yep! This is gonna be a pretty bad typhoon and do a lot of damage. I hope the lads at dai-Ichi have it all battened down, including that barge full of radioactive water.

Well I just got Kaihou-ed (extreme weather warning) and sent home. Talas aint so bad so far!

This typhoon is:

1) slow moving. It's going to keep on hitting and that means floods.

2) it's doughnut shaped. If you're anywhere near the eye, it's going to be like it hits you twice. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's over and go checking damage.

3) it's wide. the effects are going to be felt far from the eye and for a long time.

Wishing you all a safe, dry weekend!

So how much radioactive material is this going to throw around? Also, what further damage will this do to the Fukushima Daiichi site?

This typhoon will be tough for people who have really suffered this year.

Talas will undoubtedly do a lot of damage, hope everyone stays inside and stays away from mountain roads. too bad it had to hit in the weekends, during workdays seems much more convenient.